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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27048340">2 Moons to My World</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wangxian_BunnY/pseuds/Wangxian_BunnY'>Wangxian_BunnY</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Among Us (Video Game), canon - Fandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Barebacking, Blood and Gore, Canon Rewrite, Character Death, Clingy, Denial of Feelings, Developing Friendships, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, First Time, Gay Panic, Gay Sex, Gore, Grief/Mourning, Human Sacrifice, Irregular Uplates, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Canon Compliant, Original Character(s), Past Character Death, Self-Doubt, Senpai Notice Me, Sexual-awakening, Shy Impostor, Slow Burn, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Suicidal Thoughts, Switch Relationship, Teratophilia, Two Impostors (Among Us), Vaginal Sex, Xenophilia, get ready, so don't worry about checking in everyday</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 19:41:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>59,974</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27048340</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wangxian_BunnY/pseuds/Wangxian_BunnY</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Leading the team isn't always easy especially after being accused of self-report. And depressing your mate who won't acknowledge your existence won't bring you satisfaction in any form of dominance.<br/>Or<br/>White struggles after his childhood friend are murdered, and he is left to discover the body.<br/>And a certain someone struggles on getting noticed by a certain somebody. </p><p>(This is my first fic! Please don't be mean... Also, more ships will be added as the story progresses :))</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Black &amp; White (Among Us), Black/White (Among Us), Blue/Cyan (Among Us), Crewmate/Crewmate (Among Us), Crewmate/Impostor (Among Us), Green &amp; White (Among Us), Orange &amp; Pink &amp; Cyan (Among Us), Orange/Pink (Among Us), Purple/Yellow (Among Us)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>70</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Mini Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my first fic :D<br/>I hope you really enjoy it and if u do please leave a comment... I'm lonely (◕‸◕ )</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>White was sitting in the cockpit and staring out into space. It's been almost 2 months since the departure from HQ. And there was a confirmed "Impostor" on the ship. And at first, he couldn't wrap his head around why he wasn't told to steer the ship back but, considering the people ran the place...<br/>
The past week had been rocky with one new death. White's right-hand man had passed due to the loss of his own damn head. And he was the one to find the carnage near the malfunctioning reactor. The man had his head ripped off and the carnage wasn't a sight for the faint of heart. Now of course there was a reason he had been assigned the leading role in the ship, this was his 6th trip on the Skeld and his time was due.<br/>
So it shouldn't have felt this horrific... right?<br/>
White was disturbed from his drifted thoughts when he heard someone enter the room. He quickly got off the seat and pulled himself out of the cockpit. Red, well since he wasn’t in his suit anymore, Logan was standing there awkwardly.<br/>
Red was... interesting. He was one of his more useful teammates and was always the last one to accuse. Red was one of the only people aways willing to “dispose” of the sacrificed teammates. Don't get him wrong he loves the enthusiasm but, Red had some weird ways. From what he had read about Red on his synopsis, his parents were victims of manslaughter from a time when no one knew about the HQ invasion. So his aggression toward accused crewmates is somewhat reasonable. White tried to flash his friendliest grin and greet the younger.<br/>
“Hey, Logan… you got something for me?”<br/>
The younger just nodded in response holding out a tray that White hadn’t noticed on his back. It was filled with what looked like some roasted veggies and the fish bake from earlier.<br/>
“Thanks, bud I was just gonna go down to the cafe, wait what time” His eyes widened when the watch checked out at 9:40, “oh, I didn’t know that it was already so late...” he was cut off when the other spoke up.<br/>
“It’s fine just have the food. I’ll be back in a bit I have to run to elec,” he stated, turning his back on the now vulnerable leader and made his way out of the office. White stared in despair as he realized that his own teammate turned his back on him. Discovering dead bodies don’t exactly make you famous around here. A tear escaped his lidded eyes as he mumbled out a curse.<br/>
𝘋𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘪𝘵.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Conscience</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>I know that if you are currently reading my story, you are mad about how short the chapters are (＾＾；)<br/>And I'm really sorry but I will be using dialogue in my next chapter but, please bear with me because this is important (￣个￣)<br/>I kinda feel like yall will enjoy this and if u do please let me know!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Tears.</em>
</p><p>   Warm droplets ran down his cold cheek, as his glossy eyes stared straight into the white’s of the man who was now gone. He was hovering over the carcass, his messy tres of platinum hair covering his soft elliptical globes of grey. His legs were trembling in horror, anxiety and his hands clutched onto the biceps of the corpse situated in front of him. The dim lighting, the cold sweat was making the man anxious as he tried to snap himself out of the trance.</p><p>   His palms had a sweaty death grip on the remains, feeling for the warmth that had left a while ago. His usual pristine white suit was now blemished with the crimson of the carcass. The only source of warmth was the friction of the back of the limp body and the burning viscose liquid that was pouring out of several parts of the carnage. His once tensed arms relaxed as another tear slipped. </p><p>   The burning sensation of regret and remorse came crashing down again and again, as he took the beating. This was his fault.</p><p>
  <em>Look at what you did to him. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>You did this.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>You did this to your mate. </em>
</p><p>    The creature lurking in the vent moaned in pain as it held itself. The level of agony which was permeating his mate was making the creature regret it all. All he wanted was for his mate to notice him. To understand that he couldn’t just banter with whoever he wanted. To know that he belonged, somewhere and couldn’t just…</p><p>
  <em>What was the point?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He doesn't even know about you. </em>
</p><p>
  <strong> <em>Your mark is weak. </em> </strong>
</p><p>   The Impostor remained in its current physical state, which was a splatter of a translucent liquid. It didn’t more move around the vents, just slumped in the same spot. It was going to be too tiring to pretend he had an alibi now.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Did u like it?〔´∇｀〕<br/>If u didn't I'm sorry. And before you think that this will be a domination type story n o<br/>I'm sorry if u came here hoping for dat... It's just I tried to write in a more insightful way and I guess I was trying to hard. I guess this is kinda a one-sided slow burn for now ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)<br/>Please leave a comment if u liked the impostor's side!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Talk about it</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>White struggles to keep the usual leader-like, calm and cool composure, as he is targeted by several of his fellow crewmates. Will a certain someone get their chance to shine brighter than the average teammate or just remain in the darkness?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey ⊂( ◜◒◝ )⊃<br/>How are u feeling?<br/>Good, or nu?<br/>Comment please if u want, me lonely (◕︿◕✿)<br/>Welcome back to my story! I really hope you enjoy this chapter, it took a long while to finish...<br/>We can chat in the comment section and I would love to hear your positive or negative feedback!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Are you kidding me right now? Red, I can’t believe you're defending him,” snorted Purple crossing her arms. White sighed in disbelief at what he had heard from the other crewmate. He was sure that every last person on this ship would be looking forward to his demise. </p><p>“No, I’m serious and I think that you, Purple are being way too insensitive right now,” Red finished, looking away.</p><p>Who was White to say that, he wasn’t intimidated by Claria or the girl in the Purple space suit. She was one of the smartest and a self-proclaimed “interrogators” among them. But, right now with her on the case, things weren’t looking so bright for him.</p><p>“Red shut it. You are like the least experienced out of us. You wouldn’t know if it was a self-report, even if you had been the victim of it!” She said, pointing her finger at the youngest in a jesting manner.</p><p>She was absolutely fixated on the fact that White’s best friend being impaled on the head, was of the leader’s doings. So much for being the leader.</p><p>“Purple you’re not even considering that Imposters don’t have the power to imprint memory on people-” Cyan clapped back, clearly annoyed by the know-it-all throwing her day-to-day accusations. But this wasn’t just any day. The day right after one of the senior’s deaths. Senior or not, it was someone who was more or less the glue for the team. </p><p>“Listen up fuckers, I’m not dying twice and in the past 2 months, we have not voted of one single fucking impostor. So just-” Blue was cut off by their leader, who had just tried to remain in the dark but was astonished at how vulgar his fellow crewmate could get.</p><p>“Blue I’m only going to say this 2 times for you. Just because I am being debated doesn’t mean that I am not here. So don’t you ever think that I just vanished and gave you the authority to speak provocatively,” he warned, raising his voice. </p><p><em>Damn it feels good to talk,</em> he smirked to himself, feeling a little more in control of the situation.</p><p>“Look who’s getting petty after getting accused. Or should I say what,” Blue smirked, casually fingering the holes on the cafeteria table. White visibly remained tense as the pressure in the room only thickened.</p><p>The vile, beady orbs of his crewmates were enough to make him visibly unnerved. Every single one of them believed the eldest, or just pitied him. Blue, by far seemed the most conniving his thin, sly smile slicing through the collected image of their leader. And all was interrupted by one vote on the iPad. As all of the attention that had been built on him disintegrated, he turned to look at the perpetrator on the opposite side of the table.</p><p>It was only Black. Black was the utmost composed member on Skeld 207, the ship that was now of White’s obligement. Actually, he was the most composed crewmate, White had ever been on a mission with. Only second to his mom who was in rehab for overdosing on depressants. Because his fucking father could afford a villa for each one of his whores but not the decency for the Ureteroscopy sessions for his mom. Psychotic cunt.</p><p>Soon, his attention was brought back to the large framed man. </p><p>“Skip, it could not be White because of the method of slaughter. It was too callous and the impostors can’t plant memories into other’s recollections. Plus no one else mentioned any other suspicions. So, I say we skip,” he concluded, resting his sturdy forearms on the table. No one of course had cut him off because his straight-forward advice made more sense than the intimidation bullcrap Blue had given them earlier. Black was also one of the crewmates who was cleared for both of the kills that had occurred in the ship. </p><p>“Now this man doesn’t speak, but when he does it’s worth listening to. Unlike some people.” Orange glared, directing her attention toward the violet crewmate. Purple just mimicked her crossing her arm, well crossing her arms over her breast even tighter. The mood in the room was starting to brighten as people started to behave more comfortably.</p><p>White sat there re-capping about what had just happened and how easily his teammates had just shifted. Who could really blame them? There had been 2 deaths in the past one month and the first one was skipped on because no one had any solid suspicions. People were just trying to avoid voting out people. And White knew that but couldn’t help but also understand that if his team didn’t build on their resilience by voting out someone, they wouldn’t be growing as individuals and that won’t be helping them in the long run.</p><p>He let out a shaky sigh that he didn’t know he was holding.</p><p>A leader… huh?</p><p>Quite frankly this ship was filled with minors. Young people in their early 20s, people that could be spending their time in college. A privilege that was never open for him. Instead, living in these sickening space crafts with less than a year of training. These are what the hopeless adolescents of the world look like now. A glance around the room and he could see all of their shaken complections, empty smiles, and bruised demeanor.</p><p>No privileged person would want to come out here. After all, Astrology wasn’t some art that was to be sought out after anymore. Ever since a decade ago, when Mira HQ revealed the confirmation of a mass infiltration on the space program, the world wasn't the same anymore.</p><p>A multi-billion-dollar mass business crashing. In desperation to save themselves, they turned to the young people of the generation. Just to their luck, millions of families and kids offered themselves. Thinking the impostors were a joke, a hoax into holding them back from getting the reward. Yes, a reward. The reward back then was insurance. And with that, people were jumping on these ships… and never coming back. After the first batch of people, the company was obviously sued but, it wasn't just them. Thousands of small Astrological-based research-based companies were stepping up behind the mighty Mira’s fall and offering these people shelter, insurance, money and most importantly security and every single damn family took the bait. It was so sudden back then that society didn’t know how to handle these people.</p><p>These companies had a plan in mind. A plan that would scar, and wound society forever. They would promise so much but, only give back so little, that would just come back to them. They promised life insurance, about a couple thousand, and completely lied about the new creatures. They assured that only Mira was composed of those creatures and they hadn't even heard of such things. That they completely were sure that the species was wiped out, after the fall of Mira. And people took them at their word and boarded the ships.</p><p>Maybe in a different world, this would sound strange but that’s what you get when you put together a poor, struggling society and cruel, vile cultivators who want nothing but all of it. And it began. People flying over to America, Europe, and China, with those being the main places of flight and taking off to the ride of their lives.</p><p>The companies would drain the insurance companies of their money, after promising everything to each one of the families. It was a cycle. The poor, poor people would come to them for an opportunity at life and would pay up all of their money, to be sent to their deaths on a large and vast Skeld ship.</p><p>Some came out alive, won the money, and got out. But in a world of greed, there were more people who actually risked another trip or two. The thing that really made this cycle strenuous for the people of the society was that you only got the money if you made it out alive. Or as they liked to call it, finished your mission.</p><p>And many did.</p><p>Many, many did.</p><p>So many in fact, that they were able to cover up those who didn’t.</p><p>And that was it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Did you like it?<br/>(´～｀ヾ)<br/>Please leave feedback, it really helps me out since this is my first fic and I am a real noob when it comes ao3 and writing in general...<br/>You don't have to tho, you can just talk about your day or yea...<br/>(*ﾉ▽ﾉ)<br/>I really hope you liked it and I will try to update a couple of times a week!<br/>But, the next chapter will take a while because it's I think will be a little more... complex...<br/>Not in a pervy way!<br/>(∩╹□╹∩)<br/>If you came here looking for dat, we got a long way to go sunny boi -3-</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Hydration</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hello, people of ao3 (◕‿◕✿)<br/>We take a steamy look at the plot, from a different perspective!<br/>I hope you have been enjoying your day and that this will hopefully make your mood happier!<br/>Soooooo, This is the Hydration chapter I promised for one of these story viewers, isumi828! They promised me that they were going to drink water from the tallest glass in their home and I want you to do the same (*｀^´)<br/>Drink water peeps, stay hydrated!<br/>Drink water, get at least some work done around the house, and sleep for at least 8 hours... or you can actually risk getting a stroke (╥﹏╥)<br/>No matter who, what, or where or when or how you are I would never want you to risk a stroke!<br/>Strokes are serious! Every 4 minutes, someone dies of a stroke!<br/>You do not want to be one of those people and I need you to be safe and sound and live a wonderful life where you overcome your fears and accomplish your dreams! (ゝ◡╹)ノ♡<br/>Not die early because of a stroke ⊙︿⊙<br/>So please do me and yourself and your family and friends and every person on planet earth, pick up the biggest glass of water in your house and CHUG!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Really hope you enjoy it!<br/>There is smut in this chapter so if your into that ᕕ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)ᕗ<br/>The scenes are straight so if your not interested, feel free to skip! Also, please leave feedback (/へ＼*)<br/>Everyone's feedback is one that I can use to make my writing better and provide you with better stories!<br/>If you don't want the smexy scenes, I will have a warning written so that you can enjoy without tainting your brain with my vigorous smut.<br/>Anyway, enjoy it!<br/>(*ﾉ▽ﾉ)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Pink, I can’t let you do that to yourself,” Cyan concluded, her eyes bewildered. Her friend stood there, unaffected by the other woman’s reaction. Cyan turned to look at the other crewmate there who was pretending he hadn't just been eavesdropping on the girls. Pink turned away and made herself heard as she made her way out of the dormitory hallways. Cyan turned back to her friend, who now had their back face her.</p><p>“How are you so unfazed by this?” She stomped, her foot hitting the dorm entrance with a loud thud. She didn't wait for the questioned male’s answer as she walked over to him. The dangerous glint in her soft, chestnut eyes didn’t really do anything to the man who was just relaxing on the hallway’s railings.</p><p>“Can you at least pretend you care, if you’re just gonna sit there you idle creep, ” she glowered, adjusting her posture in an attempt to appear more… menacing. Suddenly, the elder chuckled, catching her by surprise. She just kept glaring as the other gently took her by the shoulder.</p><p>“Baby, I thought you said you didn’t think that it was the leader twink,” he whispered, cupping her face with one palm. Ignoring his bad manners, she leaned onto his bare-hands. The hallway was quiet, with only the sound of vents intruding the otherwise silence. The cold air from Medbay’s entrance was making the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end.</p><p>Blue used his other hand to grab her torso and pull her closer. She leaned on to him as he adjusted her head on the crook of his neck. This was somewhat comforting in a ship of people who always try to remain arm's length away, to literally not get choked by impostors.</p><p>“I don’t think that it’s Coby...” she mumbled, her lips creasing his cheek. Her soft floral scent from her perfume hit him when he pulled her even closer. She sighed and unwrapped her hands from her waist and pulled him to his feet. He kept holding on to her puffed, gloved hand as she walked into their dormitory located in the sleeping quarters. Blue walked in, slamming shut the door behind him as Cyan groaned in complaint. She quickly sat up on the bed, when she noticed him, eagerly glancing at her. He looked away of course getting the idea but went to the backroom to get changed. Cyan sat there, looking lost for a moment before getting up to get changed in the bathroom.</p><p>She honestly didn’t think that it was their leader. And she would stand up for him even to that bratty law school graduate. White was sweet, even a little charming. And he doesn’t deserve that bullshit for someone his age.<br/>She stripped off her clothes and glanced at herself in the mirror.<br/>Her face was a bit puffy, probably from the stress from last week. And whenever her face got puffy, it took weeks to return to its normal dull look. She blew a strawberry when predicting that for the next few weeks when Orange will be calling her Plum face or the worst one, Babycakes.</p><p><em>Why are there so many chaotic gays? </em> As Orange puts it.</p><p>She let out a breathy snort when remembering Pink’s response to the tangerine girl’s statement. She had given her raving friend a kiss on the ear and had whispered,<em> Only you darling</em>. That got her a flustered Orange, who just had her own joke backfire on her and Pink who had already left the crime scene. Cyan found herself fangirling for these blossoming couples sometimes.</p><p><em>Good times</em>, she smiled.</p><p>Speaking of the Fuchsia-clad girl, their conversation from earlier wasn't one of their best. Pink had suggested that maybe it was Black who had abolished the senior crewmate and had framed White so that the slaughter would be believable. Of course, when Cyan had questioned her for evidence the only that the younger had acquired was of the weakness of his last alibi. Black had stated that for the whole time, he was in security, keeping watch through the cameras.</p><p>In her honest opinion, Black’s alibi wasn't weak at all. She and Orange had passed Black on Cams. duty several times when walking around Black’s designated side of the Skeld. She didn’t think anything of it and Black was only on watch because with him being his productive self, he had fished his tasks already. She and Orange had hard-cleared him in the meeting. </p><p><br/>But Pink was certain and wasn't taking any of her valid reasoning and even hinted that the other isn't agreeing because of an alliance. Cyan had tried so hard to hold the junior back from questioning, but she was too late.</p><p>Pink was now ghosting her because of her frustration of why the elder could just not understand, and Cyan understood that. She sat on the edge of the toilet, lost in thought about the stubborn girl. And no matter how much she hated to doubt herself, she would kill if the other was right. Because if she was, she wouldn’t see daylight again after accusing the intimidating man.<br/>Cyan felt a bit helpless.</p><p>But sulking around wasn't going to help anyone. She huffed getting off the toilet and checked the running shower’s temperature by sticking her hand in the warm pouring water.</p><p><em>Perfect</em>, she thought, twirling her fingers in the drizzling water.</p><p>Her body was feeling a bit hot because of the steam that had enveloped her. That was usually a sign that the shower was running too hot, but that was just what she needed. Her pores were relaxed along with her muscles as she stepped into the wide steaming shower. The stream of water hit her sweat-stained skin, running down her collarbone. She was just about to reach for the mesh bath pouf when she heard the bathroom door creak open. She slammed the shower door and was about to holler when she saw her suitor walk in. He was still wearing his undergarments but no shirt. And he seemed pretty interested in her silhouette that was visible by the transparent shower door.</p><p>If you are not looking forward to the smut scenes then I advise you to refrain from proceeding further. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!</p><p>“Oi, stop looking,” she huffed, sticking her hand out to signal him to not come any closer. His regal blue orbs sunk into her chestnut ones as she averted her gaze away.<br/>It wasn’t that she didn’t want to have sex. In fact, she needed to blow some stress.<br/>His gaze was intense and for a second she was reminded of how her lover was a modeling major.</p><p>Her lips creased into a smirk.</p><p>He just stood there in his tight black boxer, which hugged the curves of his member and muscular thighs just right. Her heart slightly raced as she thought back to the last time they had sex. Only about 2 weeks ago, the pressure had been increasing after the last death.</p><p>He was pretty big, about 8 inches, which was more than what she could’ve asked for. And he liked enjoying sex in a leisurely manner. Like burning her with temptation and dominating her, which she was more than just fine with.</p><p>Right now they were just, checking each other out if you will as if trying to intimidate each other. She was mainly behind the shower door, with only her head and one hand peeking out. He turned his head away and turned around, before crouching down to get something from the opened cabinet behind him.</p><p>She also turned away, focused on getting her body washed. The water had become hotter so she reached behind the stream of water to turn the temperature down. Suddenly she felt the taller step in, from behind her and his dry warm hand grabbing her by the hip. She immediately twisted her body, attempting to get freed, but he held on and made her back face the glass shower door.</p><p>Now they had been dating for over 2 years but, something about this situation made him seem a little intimidating. Kinda sexy.<br/>He cupped her face in his hands and proceeded to make out with her. Their hot tongues clashed with each other as they tasted each other’s breaths. His was minty- fresh with a hint of the mint-chocolate soft-serve he had in the morning.<br/>She remembered her breakfast which was a glass of milk-tea and avocado toast. His tongue swirled under hers. She flinched. After they had a taste of each other, he used his hands to reach under her thighs, and hoist her off the ground. She let out a squeak, not expecting to be manhandled.</p><p>She wasn’t the weight of a kitten so, why was he able to just carry her out of the bathroom with such ease?<br/>She was going to start protesting to the elder to let her finish washing but, she didn’t have the chance to. The lights in the room were out and the blinds were closed shut. The slight light from space shined on them as he dropped her on the bed. Her butt hit the mattress with a thump.</p><p>Why was he being so difficult? She huffed as he crouched in front of her opened legs. Her eyes widened with terror as he used his wet hands to push her thighs apart. She sat up in confusion as he reached over to the nightstand to grab a small bottle. For the first time in the past half an hour, she broke the silence.</p><p>“Babe, I don’t wanna do oral,” she quietly whispered, locking her eyes with her partner. Blue hummed in response, opening the cap of the small bottle.</p><p>𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨? She wondered, curious. He squeezed out a healthy amount on his palm and turned to face her.</p><p>“Can we try bareback?” he asked, unfazed by the absurdity of his question. She sat there confused, before letting out a shaky breath.</p><p>“What if… ” she started but the elder cut her off.</p><p>“I get it, it’s okay. It’s just that I wanted to take care of you” he mumbled, rolling the liquid around his hands.<br/>Cyan kind of gasped slightly touched by the other’s concern. They have never had much sexual freedom when it came to traveling on the ships so it was a hassle keeping things alive in the bedroom. She blushed.</p><p>“No, I mean we can bareback if you really want. It’s just that you have to be careful and make sure to pull out in time, okay?” she asked, taking his face in her hands. His eyes adverted up and her eyes traced every delicate feature on his face. From his sharp chiseled jawline to his cultivating eyes, she was starting to question how she got this man. She ran her slender fingers through his damp dark locks with honed strikes of blonde. Blue connected their lips and cupped her pussy, slathering the viscous slick onto her vagina, and earning a husky moan that vibrated his body.</p><p>He pushed the other further up the bed, as the friction from the bed roughly dried her back. He pulled away for a second to grab the little bottle of slicked lube and poured it into his hands.<br/>He likes to use a lot of lube because “it was sexy,” and “It made sex hurt less,” but Cyan just called it a waste of the product.</p><p>He coated two fingers in it and lined them at her hole. She felt a bit of euphoria in her head as he pushed both of his thick, muscular fingers in. The walls of her pussy clung on to his fingers, as he took them out. She became even more flustered, as he slipped both of his fingers in his mouth.</p><p>“Salty,” he teased, embedding more of the warmed lube into her hole. She quietly cursed at him, feeling his fingers curl inside of her. He shifted his position above her, his left leg in between her legs and the other on the same side. The room had become so heated that Cyan was feeling a bit intoxicated.<br/>Her body was covered in goosebumps from being touched earlier. Her delicately soft nipples had erratically hardened.</p><p>Blue’s hands ghosted over her body, creasing every curve. Her hole was slick from being fingered earlier and Blue just wanted to eat it up. And Cyan knew that. Blue was a dirty fucker. He likes teasing and dragging her to her limits. One time on their one year anniversary, she let him use his toys on her. Let’s just say, after that night she knew exactly how chronic orgasms worked.</p><p>He kissed her again, roughly this time, making her close her eyes and take the treatment. His fingers were back in her hole and he started to scissor his fingers inside of her. She let out an uncomfortable moan and was caught off guard when feeling him pick up one of her breasts. Sucking on her breast, making eye contact with the flustered woman he knew how to drive her crazy. After giving each of the little buds a good session, he took a look at them.</p><p>The usual relaxed little orbs were now wrinkly tense but also smooth from being strained out. They were twitching a little like they had minds of their own and so was her lower abdomen. He kinda found it cute. She rolled her pretty caramel-colored eyes and demanded to be penetrated.<br/>If he was a year younger he would have laughed but, was he better than that. He picked up his erect member which was throbbing on his hands and was pretty sensitive. Pre-cum lazily dripped out of the tip and onto his hands. Cyan saw the silhouette of it, getting kind of mesmerized by the trail of semen leaking from it.</p><p>He smirks when noticing her fascination with his cock. Her supple and toned body had fitted perfectly into his sticky and slicked hands. He wondered how erratically pleasing she would look covered in the stuff… How her warm supple body would just slide into his bare hands.<br/>Now if anyone were to shame him for his deliriously lusty thoughts, he would just shrug them off. What’s the point of having a ravishing partner if you couldn’t fantasize about them?</p><p>His member was stinging in pleasure as it finished its round of oozing the pre-cum. Her anticipation was put to an end when she felt the member’s round head pushing into her vaginal entrance.<br/>She wasn’t fully stretched out but, it would have to do. His almost hard member pushed through her vaginal entrance and mind entered a blissful state. She eased the cock into her, making Blue grunt. He held her waist in both of his hands and thrust his penis into her wet, slicking pussy. She moaned loudly, feeling the pleasure of the first thrust. It took her a second to come back to her senses.</p><p>“S-slow down,” she panted, unable to catch her breath. He retracted his cock, as the burning walls of her vagina clasped on to it. Slamming it back, she hitched her breath, and the back of her throat going dry. It was definitely painful, but she wasn't going to start crying like a virgin.<br/>She took a breathy whiff of the room, taking in the scent of sex and pheromones.</p><p>Soon he had a steady and slow pace of ramming his fully-erect cock back into her swollen vagina. Blue had never mind doing all of the work when it came to sex because she was always a little too reluctant about it.</p><p>He slammed his member in, once in a rugged manner and her back was arched, hands above her head and a loud wail leaving her through. And God did he love the sight. He was hitting her walls with a little too much precision and she thought that he might have actually broken into her stomach. In some time, he felt his climax closing in. He pulled out his throbbing member leaking with semen and lined it up with her the front of Cyan’s tummy. He stroked his cock in front of the other, giving Cyan quite the view.</p><p>His muscular arms flexing as the veins in hands tensed. He threw his head back to reveal his strong and tensed jawline. Soon the cum did squirt out of his member and onto her breast and stomach. He looked down at his panting partner, wiping the sweat off her top lip with the back of her hand. He lathered the seamen on to her front, using his hands to massage it in.</p><p>He kissed her, in a lazy yet passionate manner. She pulled him down by wrapping her hands around his neck and sat up. Sex meant cleaning because she was not going to bed covered in semen and sweat on a damp bed.<br/>He also stood up, just to corner her by the shower as his re-erected cock got excited about the second round.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>(^ _^；)<br/>Did you enjoy it??<br/>If you did or didn't please leave a comment below and inform me about it!<br/>If it was just boring, also please tell me about your thoughts in the comment section below!<br/>I really hope you drank that glass of water tho （/｡＼*)<br/>And remember to drink 8 glasses of water and sleep for at least 8 hours a day!<br/>Bai Bai (ゝ◡╹)ノ♡</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Come Together</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>White decides to put his best friend's case to the side and, focus on the earlier. Get a glimpse into White's investigation, as a new crewmate joins his side.<br/>(this is my summery abilities, pls... don't leave Patricia....)</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi gays and guys and gals and fellow trashcans (*ﾉ▽ﾉ)<br/>I know this chapter took a while to publish but, I couldn't help it. I wanted it to be perfect, our main gays are going to be interacting in this chapter<br/>(~￣³￣)~<br/>*Slaps* Not like that PATRICIA!<br/>*Hugs and gives cookie* there, there Patricia. You know I didn't mean it that way...<br/>Get ready for a lil angst, and a lil spoon of gay. (a fucking ladle, that is)<br/>it'll be as beautiful as it can be- written by a trashcan, Ik I'm a disrespect to all trashcans（；＿；）<br/>Healthy daily reminder: Do the two 8s: 8 hours of sleep and 8 glasses of water.<br/>Stay hydrated gays and guys and gals and fellow trashcans ☆</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Twelve members. 11 artifacts. 6 months. 1 Skeld ship. One trip. 1&lt; Impostors in the ship. 2 crewmate deaths.</p><p>Impostors: 2. Crewmates: 0.</p><p>Facts. These were the facts that circled the leader's heads 24/7. Contemplating the procedures that his team would take next was no joke. Upon the first death, the murder was quick and did not leave that much of a mess. It was not the heaviest of murder scenes. It was almost baffling when deciding on which team the perpetrator played.</p><p>The victim was a classified male, 24 middle-eastern, and prominent suit color was Lime. He was a charming individual, his given tasks revolved around Communications. The crime scene took place in Lower engine, where his remains were found by Yellow and Orange. The cause of death would have to be internal bleeding and suffocation.</p><p>The victim had suffered a blow to the stomach, which made him suffer from internal bleeding for over 3 hours. This blunt abdominal injury was a direct blow to the abdomen without an open wound. The fatal internal bleeding should have resulted in organ failure.<br/>The victim was spewing thick trails of blood from his mouth, ears and, nose. His eyes were closed, so it is safe to interpret that as an indication that the deceased was fearful of the future.</p><p>It was a quick attack that left him no time to react. His death should have caused a lot of attraction. It was a hard hit, and White believed he was supposed to be left to bleed to death. White didn't think that it was the Impostor’s initial plan to choke the crewmate. But to be fair, Lime was just as rambunctiously alive as his fellow crewmate, Orange. The Impostor was sloppy, leaving the body in hind-sight in a connection compartment.</p><p>It was only a DNA test conducted by Pink in Medbay that had led them to the conclusion that the killer was an impostor. The Genetics Test, also known as A DNA test, had confirmed that there were was indeed relative DNA on the body. In forensics, the crew used a basic formula for DNA fingerprinting, or the process of identifying a person through their genetic code. They found a different DNA on the carcass, that was most likely of the Impostor's. Then the crew compared it to every crewmate's DNA, and it had not to match anyone. But, there was one similarity. Since Impostors can shape-shift, they have DNA make-up that is relevant to them. Now the more experienced they are, the more they can change it. We did match it to one individual's DNA and, their DNA had fit in perfectly into the Impostor's "5th Cousin to Distant Cousin," zone. And that person was Yellow.</p><p>There were bruise marks around the victim’s neck, that were made by hand marks that are evident to the stangulation method. Presumably, the victim’s carotid artery was blocked off, as he was deprived of oxygen. Before lapsing into unconsciousness, a strangulation victim will usually resist violently, often producing injuries of their neck to claw off the assailant, and frequently also producing injuries on the face or hands to their assailant.<br/>That was evident in Lime’s body. White predicted that it took 5 minutes of constant pressure to make brain death occur. As for the strangulation, the victim had to be held down for 5 minutes, with at least 30 lbs of pressure on his tracheal cartilage.</p><p>White predicted that the blow to the stomach was an indication that the Impostor had been reluctant to get caught. Probably not as experienced.<br/>So he had been hit from behind, without knowing that someone was there, waiting for his demise. White could say this because, on the X-Ray of his skull, the victim had suffered severe nerve damage to the brain. But it wasn't enough to kill him because the Impostor had strangled him instead. Either that or the Impostor just needed to finish him off quickly, because they were under pressure.</p><p>The victim only suffered the consequences of the concussion by fainting, open-eyed. Their skull was also fractured meaning that if the sharp edges of the cracked skull had punctured the brain they could've damaged the delicate tissues and cause bleeding. The cranium exam had proven the crew's forecast. And that was how White had predicted the murder had taken place.</p><p>The Impostor had not tried to frame anyone because at the time of death, around 1:56 AM., most crewmates were sleeping as White had not assigned night shifts. Odd. So that would mean that the killer's main goal was to not get caught, not frame anyone. Maybe the main goal wasn't to deliberately frame someone because they didn't have to. On to the motives of the victim.</p><p><em>Why was he even in Lower engine?</em> White could answer that question. <em>Guy's night</em>. White decided that it was best to investigate the culprits that had attended the sleepover.</p><p>Suspects: Yellow, Red, and Brown. White isn't stupid, he knows that Yellow is on the red list, but he was hesitant. White has enough experience to understand someone might be trying to frame Yellow. This doesn't happen very often.</p><p>White had done enough research to find out that his roommate at that time was Blue. A moderately respected senior with his level for self-admiration over the roof. In simpler words, he thought he was so cool.</p><p><em>Sigh</em>, White smirked.</p><p>Blue’s current status was alive. His alibi that night was that he had been sleeping the whole time. In his significant other dorm room. Which his girlfriend, Cyan was able to vouch for.<br/>Cyan’s roommate, Pink, had gone to the other weekly sleepover that was only open for the female residence for the ship. The sleepover had consisted of Orange, Pink, and Purple, only missing Cyan, who was spending the night with her lover. Each could vouch for each other and almost confirm that they were in Orange’s dorm room for the whole night.</p><p>
  <em>5 down 7 to go.</em>
</p><p>White could vouch for Green, because of course they were roommates and being seniors, were very careful of each other. Green was the only person that White knew for sure was not one of the Impostors.<br/>But that night was unique because the weekly Guys and Girls sleepover tied over. Lime, Brown, Yellow, and Red were all in there, having a blast even if they were half off, which all of them could vouch for. The dubious thing is that the girls had reported having a recollection of seeing them running around the dormitory hallways.</p><p>And from Green’s report, people couldn't find Lime before they were 3 hours late. White was so upset and angered by Green’s contradiction when being accused that it was his fault. Usually, White, Green, Cyan, Pink, Black, and even Blue were in charge of night patrols. They were more experienced than the rest of the crew, and White didn't want to put minors in the way.</p><p>But he couldn’t believe that someone had died at his best friend's hands and that Green had denied it.<br/>Of course, he was feeling bad inside, but why couldn’t he just take the responsibility? White was disappointed enough but, he couldn't stay mad for long. They had been raised side by side, despite them being different, it was that difference that balanced them out. But, White was still unsatisfied with Green's need to always stubborn and fend for himself.</p><p>That only left him with one member, Black. Black was at the time reportedly sleeping in his room. An alibi that sounds weak, but isn't because White himself was checking up on the crewmate. <em>Was it creepy to watch someone sleep?</em><br/>Yes, yes it was but, White couldn’t help it. In the end, after an hour of keeping an eye on the suspect, he was caught. He was questioned and, White had blatantly lied. Well tried to. But he was caught and had to fess up.</p><p>After telling him the truth they just sat there in silence and, White also told him how he didn’t have a good feeling about that very night. Black rationalized his decisions and had offered for White to move in for the night.<br/>White was hesitant, but also in a way afraid to turn down the man. Maybe it was because of his dreaded reputation, as the composed embodiment of intimidation. Or perhaps White just pitied the reclusive man. It was probably just that he needed to keep an eye on the reserved crewmate.</p><p>Nevertheless, he agreed to the offer and informed his roommate about his decision. Green had teased him about taking comfort in Black and promised to keep an eye on the others. White convinced himself that he needed a break after operating the team safely for one whole month and picked up his belongings from his room, setting out to venture into a peaceful sleep in his new studio. The atmosphere in his new room was colder than his old room, but it was neat.</p><p>Black was situated on his bed, skimming through a voluminous book with the table light turned on. His amber eyes had dilated when greeting White back into the room and allowed the other man to set up his things. White had suggested that this was maybe their sleepover. Black had responded with a sound of agreement. From their separate beds, they talked about the team and, the elder surprised White on how much he notices about them every day. Goes to show you have one mouth and two ears.</p><p>After having a light-hearted conversation, they switched the light off and, White immediately fell to his most tranquil sleep yet. Of course, the next morning was a disaster, but he enjoyed his peaceful slumber. Thinking back to that night, he felt jealous of his younger self.</p><p>That night had led to so many problems, trust issues, and much more.</p><p>Just a few weeks later, here he was being accused of his best friend's death. He got off the bed and stretched his cramped biceps. He hasn’t been working out recently and, they were sore from him sulking in the same spot all day. It was currently only 4 in the morning but, he couldn’t bear to stay in bed any longer. He was at the time sharing his room with Blue, who moved out on him and was currently staying with his girlfriend.</p><p>Who would share a room with a self reporter? He scoffed to himself and made his way into the empty cafeteria. The cafeteria always had such a bizarre setup, with so much room but only five large circular benched-tables. His feet padding across the vacant arena was the unique sound that could be heard and of the vents which were usually up and running. The lights on the Skeld ship were motion censored, but they had not turned on yet. It kind of felt like day-light savings.</p><p>Every morning around this time felt like day-light savings.</p><p>Rubbing his eyes with the back of his palm, he bought a protein-based breakfast, including two hard-boiled eggs, a lean pork chop, black beans, and a small serving of Greek yogurt with some seasonal fruits from the breakfast vending machine. The light flashing him from the small glowering screen was enough to make him squint.</p><p>He ate it as quickly as possible, suppressing the urges to puke it all out. He was doing this to take the full effect of the protein and not face his teammates. Some might consider him a coward, but right now, he needs to work on gaining his crew’s trust back and catching the Impostor.</p><p>Well, his tactic failed because someone did wake up earlier than expected and had made their way down to the cafeteria. The man walked in, nothing in hand, and dressed in his undersuit that they wore to do indoor tasks. His dark hair was tousled from sleep. His eyes avoided White’s curious peer as he walked through aisles between the tables to the breakfast vending machine.</p><p><em>Not even good morning</em>? White pondered, annoyed by his own mundane choice of breakfast. <em>Figures, who wants to be seen by me, let alone talk to me?</em></p><p>He picked at his portioned black beans, distracted by their soft luster. While he was inattentive, Black took a seat on the bench perpendicular to the pre-occupied man. White looked up when noticing the other taking a seat on the table. White cleared his throat in embarrassment as the other fixed their eyes on him. Black’s vivid gaze took him by surprise as he sat there like a deer caught in headlights. Black glanced away, and they sat there for almost half a minute. Black’s left elbow rested on the crook of the table and, his fingers were stiff. He was lounged to his left and didn’t speak a word.</p><p>White was uncomfortable by the awkward silence, so he decided to break it and get to work.</p><p>“So,” he began, earning back the other's gaze, “Thanks for sitting with me. I’ll be leaving now. Um, enjoy your breakfast,” he flashed a sluggish morning grin and got up from the table.</p><p>“White,” the other crewmate called out. His distinctly heavy, yet rich monotone cracked the hum of silence in White’s ears. White stopped taking his baby steps toward the garbage disposal.</p><p><em>For god's sake</em>, he bit his lip and turned to face the other who had sat up and was eagerly waiting for him to sit back down. He took a seat back on the metal surface of the bench, the warmth of his last sitting still lingering. He placed his breakfast tray back on the table. He rested his hands on his thighs and tried not to appear as if he was fed up with life. Black looked down at his lap before breaking the silence again.</p><p>“Can I ask you some questions?” he said, looking back up to meet White’s weary gaze.</p><p><em>He is trying to interrogate me</em>, <em>huh</em>? White smiled, interested by the timid man.</p><p>“Shoot,” With a keen look in his eye, he relaxed a bit and sat back, ready to prove his innocence to the other.</p><p>“Before Green’s death, what were your last conversations about? ” Black quired, sitting forward. White answered back without batting an eye.</p><p>“Where our suspicions of the crewmates had lain,” he said. Black asked the next question at the same speed White had answered the last one.</p><p>“Did you two argue, if so what was it usually about?” he asked, his eyes fixated on the others sterling orbs. White cut off the eye contact as he answered the next one.</p><p>“We argued, but it was in a competitive sense. Our disagreements were usually about trivial things,” he finished, fingers fidgeting with each other.</p><p>“Trivial as in?” Black trailed off, leaving the other to finish the question. White inhaled a pressured breath and let his eyes wander to anything else but Black.</p><p>“I don’t know random things about the ship. Our families back home,” he answered, shrugging through the last part. Black decided to take things more intuitively and asked the next question.</p><p>“How were your arguments different than your day-to-day conversations?” he asked, tilting his head to the right and catching a flicker of White’s eyes. White gave him an annoyed look, that was hinting at him to stop asking these personal questions. Black pursed his lip, lowering his brilliant gold orbs. He got the idea.</p><p>“They weren’t much different. Our arguments were just about the things we talked about, we always came to a mutual agreement, ” White replied, “He had a very jubilant personality and usually teased me about… things, but never took it that far. He was a really… good friend.”</p><p>Black listened eagerly to every word rolling off the other’s lips. White visibly shrunk his posture, trying to throw of Black’s attention. But the other’s eyes were fixated on him, the larger framed crewmate seemed as if his intentions were more revealing than the leader had initially thought. White’s attention was brought back when<br/>Black spoke up, his smooth deep voice echoing through the empty cafeteria.</p><p>“Are you sure that he was nothing more than a” Black paused before quickly finishing the question, “really good friend?”</p><p>The tip of White’s ears shifted colors from a pasty pearl to coral. He seemed more than taken back by the question, Black could even presume that he was offended. The leader answered, meeting the other man's gaze.</p><p>“He wasn't. He was very comfortable with his sexuality, so am I,” White shut down Black quickly, annoyed at Black’s antics.</p><p><em>What does he get out of this?</em> The leader anticipated. This time Black averted his eyes away and exhaled a sharp breath.</p><p>“Then who do you think out of this ship has the biggest chance of being the Imposter that took out your friend?” Black asked, nonchalantly tilting his head. White set his elbows back on the table and replied quickly.</p><p>“I’m not sure because I don’t feel like pointing fingers. For his case at least,” White said. Black nodded. It made enough sense. White needed time to take a look at the bigger picture. Instead of fighting to prove his innocence, he needed to focus on finding who the real Impostor was.</p><p>“Then, who do you think was the murderer for Lime’s death?” Black asked. White looked down for a second to collect his thoughts.</p><p>“I think it was one of the boys from the first-ever sleepover,” White answered. The girls are too close not to notice if something was not right so, it has to be one of the guys. And he remembered that the girls had complained about them wandering around the ship. White looked up, ready to test the other's reliability.</p><p>”Which one do you think is the culprit Impostor for the first case?” White tried his best to read the other’s body language but there was nothing to it. Black just sat there and took a second to respond.</p><p>“Maybe we should question them. Also, I don't think the first and second killings are of the same Impostor’s doings,” Black finished, everything he had just said White had already considered. White wet his lips and gave the other a firm nod. Black sat there in silence, waiting on the leader to make a move. White’s pearly eyes lit up.</p><p>“When I had first started to assign the crew’s task curriculum, I usually went over their Cvs. Curriculum vitae that Mira, well hopefully Mira had put together for them. We can use that to see who would best match the experience count,” White suggested standing up from his seat. Black raised his head.</p><p>White walked over to the garbage disposal and threw out his disposable lunch carton. It was sad to see the last of his pork chop go, but he had to get to work. He walked to the bottom of the cafeteria, not knowing that he was being followed.</p><p>White turned around at the entrance of Admin and saw Black innocently standing behind him. White gave a friendly smile and asked Black if he wanted to help him search Admin for the Cvs. Black replied quickly with a response that White wasn’t expecting.</p><p>“Well, I figured you would have a hard time searching through 2 parts of the ship.” Black shrugged, leaning back against the wall. White looked confused.</p><p>“What do you mean? I thought we only had to search through Admin,” White finished, feeling the burden of what Black had said.</p><p>“We have to search through Admin yes, but we might also have to search Comms. I think I saw something that resembles a CV. there,” Black noted. White thought about the ordinary chamber, which was void for the most part. He wondered how he never pays much attention to one of the most crucial areas of the ships.</p><p><em>Of course, it would be there of all places,</em> White refrained himself from face-palming and nodded his head.</p><p>“Okay, let’s start there!” he grinned, leading the way through the dark hallway. Strangely the hallway was always less luminous than the rooms. It was weird, White thought it was just bad design. Black’s heavy footsteps behind him echoed through the halls, definitely louder than his. If it were to be anyone else, he would’ve felt more alert and cautious but, it was just… Black.</p><p><em>Silly</em>, White shook his head and reached Storage’s end and the gate to the Shields and Comm. hallway.</p><p>It was going to be a tight squeeze to walk next to together, so White sped up. Soon they were in front of the cozy medium-sized room. They walked in, Black heading to the large shelf full of small audio related items and artifacts that were no longer in use. White glanced around the room to find some type of containers that could hold the documented files. He spotted a weaved metal basket tucked away underneath one of the larger monitors. He crouched and reached for it. Grabbing it, he set the box down in front of him and picked up a thick ochre-colored file with Black watermarks. The watermarks on the front just showed the Classic Mira logo, the silhouette of the sun with a bean-like astronaut under it. He flipped open the folder and skimmed through the contents.</p><p><em>Nope… Communication Guidelines and Instructions… Nope…</em>White closed the folders and thought back for a second. <em>Why would the Cv. be in hindsight? It could fallen into bad hands too easily...</em></p><p>“White,” Black called out, snapping White out of his trance. White turned around, still sitting in the Asian squat position. Black dropped something hanging out from the metal file cabinet. When the object hit back with the hard surface of the cabinet, it clicked with a metal snap. White stood up and peered over it. It was a metal lock.<br/>Specifically, a card-censor induction digital lock.</p><p><em>A lock, finally!</em> White looked back at Black, who was looking at him for instructions. White signaled for Black to follow. Black stood up and followed the other man out of the room. White walked past shields and up the confined hallway, Black was busy looking around in awe.</p><p><em>Right, he s usually on the other side of the ship</em>, White smiled, <em>It's nice to see him not bored for once.</em> Black took note of the download task in shields and the vent that was blowing in warm air. The right side is known for being more spacious and airy because it is way less cramped. White soon reached his station, Navigation, one of the most beautiful parts of the ship. The spacious cockpit sat in front of them. Black looked perplexed by his surroundings. He glanced at the small seating area that was at ground level. A three-seater contemporary leather white couch sat there paired with a modern glass coffee table.</p><p>White cooed before he could catch himself. Black sharply turned to face the leader, who was now flustered.</p><p>Did I just- White covered his mouth with his slender hand. He then regretted doing that, too. Black turned his head and cleared his throat. White just stood there bewildered by himself.</p><p><em>Why am I acting like such a school girl?!</em> White screamed in his head, so utterly confused. </p><p>“White do you need to get something from here?” the other crewmate asked, meeting the flustered's eye. White dropped his hands and answered back quickly before this could escalate.</p><p>“Uh, sorry about that. I thought that I had seen something... I think I usually leave my card around here...” He hesitated, after not being able to find the small object on top of the coffee table. Black took a step forward.</p><p>“I can help you look for it,” Black stated, before adding, “if you want.”</p><p>White agreed to his offer and walked around the cold room. He stepped into the cockpit. Glancing around, White didn’t find it on his large seat. He looked out of the large window. It some reason felt like a day where it would be raining, even if all White could see was the endless dark space with the tiniest twinkles. He smiled when thinking back to the tiny twinkle reference. His mom used to call him that because of his light-colored hair and eyes. And because when he was younger he was always more of a picky eater.</p><p>“Wow, so pretty,” Black’s murmured. White lowered his eyes from the nostalgic view. He turned back to meet Black’s eyes.</p><p>“Yeah,” he mumbled, looking through the small cracks between the controls. Black walked out of White’s range of sight. White heard the other stop in front of the couch set. It looked while but, the tips of White’s finger brushed the thin plastic card. He grasped it and grinned, getting out of the pit. Black looked up, standing in front of the entrance.</p><p>“Let’s go back I found it,” White said, following the large framed man out of the room. Their footsteps were synchronized, as they made their way out of Nav. It made him feel like he was part of a little alliance. White didn’t have any more pride to deny it but, he felt soothed at the other’s presence. It sounded a bit too corny but, White didn’t know how else to describe it. Maybe it was because White didn’t view Black as a threat. The darker clad crewmate halted to a stop in front of their destination and looked behind.</p><p><em>Did he think that I got lost or something?</em> White stood there waiting for the other to go in. Black quickly walked in, a little stiff as White crouched next to him, in front of the audio display. White took the thin card and slipped it into the slot. A metal snap was heard and, the lock falling into the leader's hand. White left the lock on top of the polished wooden table next to the cabinet. The other grabbed the handle and pulled the cabinet open. They peered into the box.</p><p><em>Jackpot</em>, White grabbed one of the thin folders and flipped it open. Or not, They were just medical bills and government records. From what White had known, when Impostors aboard the ships they, have a fake profile made up. So medical histories and government official bills rarely help when classifying one. But, Cv. for each person was made, by Mira themselves. And even if they weren’t there were a few fatal flaws that White could always spot. Black turned to face the leader.</p><p>“These are just medical records. But there is also another lock for us to open, ” Black said, grabbing the other lock that was still in use for a smaller drawer. White nodded, handing Black the identification card. Black stuck it in, but nothing happened. White tilted his head, also confused.</p><p><em>If I can't open it then only the officials in Mira can</em>… Thoughts shifted inside of his head as he tried to put the situation together.</p><p>“Odd, my card is supposed to work everywhere on the ship. They made me a new one that was fit for all of the card-censor locks,” White explained. Black tried several times to open it, but it didn’t budge. White was about to get up, but Black handed him the card and suggested that he tries instead.</p><p>“You think I have some voodoo touch or something?” White smirked, leaned toward Black’s side to try his luck. The other turned away with a sullen look. White slid the thin piece of plastic into the slot. The lock didn’t budge, only declining his card. White sat down on the floor frustrated. After Mira approves the Skeld ship for its next trip, no crewmate or Impostor can change the lock on the ship. No Crewmate or Impostor has the power to do that.</p><p><em>Does Mira really have a reason too</em>….? White thought. It's odd because in his past six trips, he never once thought that he would have to search for evidence like this. Usually, it was a lot simpler, because usually heavy murders always leave the impostor somewhat red-handed.</p><p>This might be his 6th trip, but he was not always the leader. This was his 3rd or 2nd time being in charge like this. Usually, people only take 1 to 3 trips but, he was greedy. Or the thrill of risking his life, his useless life, made him feel happy.</p><p>When his members ask him for his experience count, and he tells them the truth, they always look jealous, pitied, or disgusted. Jealous because who wouldn’t be. Pitiful because they probably have a heart of gold, and believe that people force him on to the missions. Disgusted because they just thought he was a whore for money. And White couldn’t blame them. Because it was true. In a way. He didn’t directly want the money but, who doesn’t want the money?</p><p>White wondered what Black had thought about him.</p><p><em>Was he jealous</em>? Not really well, he never expressed these feelings.</p><p><em>Did he pity White</em>? Nope, he kind of thought of White as his equal. Even if White was the leader. Black didn’t try to suck up to him or, he didn’t go out of his way to make White feel inferior to him.</p><p><em>Was he disgusted</em>? Maybe, he never started the initial contacts but he was helpful to the leader.</p><p>White wondered if maybe Black considered him a friend. Black just sat there and waited for the spaced-out leader. He sighed, sitting there, waiting for the other to wake up. White snapped back when hearing the other and faced the sullen Black. White cursed in his head, getting up.</p><p>“Let's go then, and look through Admin. We can maybe search for the card later, but we can’t be wasting time.” White said, watching Black get up.</p><p><em>Did that sound too harsh?</em>? White then remembered that he is the leader and, it was okay for him to be like this. It was a petty and selfish idea, but who was he to care?</p><p>White walked out of Communication, with Black trailing behind. It was a quiet walk to Admin, and by the time they reached the place, it was almost 6.</p><p><em>Wow, time flies</em>, White thought, glancing at his digital watch that was attached to his white undersuit. Black walked past him and got to work under one of the bulky computer monitors.</p><p>White walked further out into the room and walked into the small O2 area. A weird idea popped up in his head.</p><p><em>What if different codes do different things</em>? White thought it was an absurd idea but tried it anyway. He tried several codes, punching his thumb on to the tiny keyboard. But not once did it “open.” He rolled his eyes, frustrated.</p><p><em>Well, why did they have to make this look like a combination lock to a safe?</em> White turned around. Black was not sitting but leaning his body on the Large admin display table, staring at him. White was jealous of how Black’s long legs were hovering over the ground level, despite the table being sunken at a level below. He might not be trying to make White feel inferior yet, he was. White was a good six feet and almost two inches. He was one of the tallest people on this ship. But here came Mr. Tall and Intimidating, standing at maybe 2 or 3 inches taller than him.<br/>Black gave him an unimpressed look, as White just stood there embarrassed by his stupidity.</p><p>“You know maybe you would find something if you just searched invalid places.” Black finished. White just stood there, his face scrunched up. He knew that he couldn't go off on Black but, he wouldn’t just stand there like a self-shamed idiot.</p><p>“I did find something! I found my card in Nav.!” White exclaimed. Black deliberately rolled his eyes.</p><p>“The card that you left in there. And it took you like half an hour to find it,” Black said. White was a little pissed by the insensitivity of his crewmate.</p><p>“Well, if you haven't forgotten, not everyone in this goddamn ship has insomnia. Some of us need to sleep. So you can’t expect everyone to be as coordinated in this time of the day,“ White grumbled.</p><p>“Well, you of all people should be able to since you're always up, doing night shifts because you don’t know how to assign tasks,” Black leered. That one hit a bone in White.</p><p><em>How fucking dare this introverted dickwad disrespect me in my household?</em> White was seething, ready to fire back.</p><p>“Well, you know what, your sorry introverted ass didn’t have to follow me around anyways. You just wasted time in Comms., where there was nothing in there,” White snapped. Black stood up, still smiling like an idiot.</p><p>“Wanna bet on that? While you were being a 4-year-old in that corner over there,” Black pointed at the cramped O2 compartment, “I already searched through Admin. Not one of your precious CV. was here. You really think that it is not in Comms.?” Black challenged the leader. White snorted.</p><p>“Bet,”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hmmmm~<br/>Did u like it Patricia?<br/>Yes no? Even if you didn't please leave some feedback. Please I'm lonely, just like you, my fellow trashcan. Actually, I'm sorry for assuming what u identify as...<br/>Nvm, the point is to leave some feedback please, it will be so greatly appreciated (人ﾟ∀ﾟ)<br/>That was a whole deal of gay, I know, I know. Or maybe it wasn't enough- see?! I have no idea on what I'm doing... isolation is driving me crazy...<br/>Get good rest and be happy. Stay at home, and be happy. Improve yourself, Patricia... If u want. Just be healthy. (◕‿◕✿)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Grief</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>White struggles to keep up with the world as it progresses without him. He's lost in an endless loop of regret and tragedy. And there is no way out. He can't find it in himself to accept his best friend's death, and move on. And after being accused of self report, he wonders if there even is a reason to try. </p><p> </p><p>ɢʀɪᴇꜰ ɪꜱɴ'ᴛ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴀɴ ʙᴇ ᴄᴜʀᴇᴅ; ɪᴛ'ꜱ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴀ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴ ʜᴀꜱ ᴛᴏ ʟᴇᴀʀɴ ᴛᴏ ʟɪᴠᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀɴᴅ ᴜꜱᴇ ɪᴛ ᴛᴏ ʙᴜɪʟᴅ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴏᴡɴ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴡᴀʏ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴜʀᴇ ɢʀɪᴇꜰ ɪꜱ ᴛᴏ ɢʀɪᴇᴠᴇ.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey guys （/｡＼')<br/>I know that this chapter is more than over-due... But the truth is dat I'm in high school and keeping up with work can be hard. Since this was my first time writing a story, it was hard for me to keep up with everything.<br/>I'm really sorry (&gt;︿&lt;)<br/>Plus this chapter was kind of hard to write, since it goes into depth about White's feelings. We get a day-to-day schedule almost!<br/>But it isn't as exciting as it sounds ༼ ༎ຶ ෴ ༎ຶ༽<br/>I really hope you enjoy, and even if you didn't, feel free to comment! I can really use all the feedback in da world!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Cyan, do you have a minute?” White asked, greeting the crewmate. She smiled and walked over to him. Cyan knew that the pilot was going through a hard time, and she only wanted to give him some support and reassurance. White too, started walking and met her halfway into the Comm. and Shield hallway. </p><p>“Yeah, is there something I can help with? ” She questioned, letting her hands fall to her side. He nodded his head. </p><p>“Yeah, I think so. You are in charge of Communications right?” White asked, looking hopeful. He seemed a little tense strangely. She nodded and led White into her corner of the ship. They walked into Orange, who was sitting on the newly-placed bean bag chair, which complimented the color of her suit. She was snacking on a brightly colored bag of cheese puffs.</p><p>Cyan could not fathom how this girl never gained weight, eating twice of what she eats daily. Now, that's what is suspicious. 𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴?</p><p>White walked over to the orange-clad crewmate and snatched the plastic snack bag out of her hands. Orange took a second to register what was happening as White threw the bag into the small waste can next to the large monitor that was to the left of them. Orange looked up in horror. </p><p>“What the frick?” She asked, looking at the elder outraged. Her usual gray-green eyes were looking darker now. White stepped up, eager to explain why he had thrown away the bag.</p><p>“Well, Orange you see, I went through everyone's Medbay scans yesterday, and you, my precious crewmate are twelve pounds overweight.” He smiled almost in a cynical sense, grasping the crewmate by her shoulders. </p><p>“Why are you complaining? I thought you liked it when crewmates got fat so that you can get a-” Orange was cut-off mid-speech when Cyan stomped her foot. </p><p>𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘥, The other two acquired.</p><p>“Orange, just listen to him, okay? He is correct, you did gain a lot of weight...” She said with frustration and guilt in her voice, “He is only trying to look out for you.”</p><p>Orange gave her an empty glance and looked back at the leader. He met her glare with an unfazed expression. </p><p>𝘚𝘰 𝘴𝘮𝘶𝘨, She thought, getting up from her chair. White took a step back when she walked past him. She walked out of the room, almost embarrassed and caught off guard by what had just happened.  Cyan took a step forward, feeling obliged to take responsibility for her friend’s actions. She was about to speak up but, White cut her off.  </p><p>“I shouldn’t have said that so harshly. She probably feels like I was trying to body-shame her,” He mumbled, leaning against the audio equipment display. Cyan held a pitiful look as she strolled over next to the other. </p><p>“J- White, it's okay. Don’t worry, it’s just that we are all going through tough times and, she just wasn’t feeling it today,” Cyan reassured, tempted to, physically comfort the other crewmate. White nodded, snapping out of his dreary trance. </p><p>“Anyways, can I have your identification card for a second?” White asked. Cyan curiously peered at the leader. </p><p>“Why?” She demanded, leaning closer to the crewmate. White held his hand out and answered. </p><p>“Don’t worry about it. I just have to open something and, I think, I need a crewmate’s card,” He explained. Cyan flashed a challenging grin. </p><p>“Aren’t you a crewmate with a valid card?” She asked as White looked jolted for a second. Cyan laughed at the confusion.</p><p>“Don’t worry about it. I was just kidding,” She dug into the pocket of her vividly colored inner suit. She took out her card and watched, carefully as White knelt in front of the file cabinet and held out his hand to her. Cyan handed over the thin piece of plastic. White picked up the well-hidden card sensor lock and stuck the card into the little slot, holding his breath.</p><p>𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬, 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘥, He wished. The lock didn’t budge, and White was considering breaking it open with his teeth. Cyan looked concerned at the pissed crewmate. </p><p>𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬. 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥’𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳, White seethed over the little piece of metal. Cyan looked away at the leader’s failure. White looked up after realizing how awkward the situation had become. </p><p>“White, what’s in that cabinet anyways?” she casually asked. White looked up, perplexed on how to answer. </p><p>“Well,” He began, “I don’t know. I’m right now looking for something and, I just thought that it would be here,” he explained. Cyan was going to try to push on about what but didn't.</p><p>“Maybe, you should ask around for it,” she suggested. White looked unsure. </p><p>𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵…  She pondered about White’s response. </p><p>“If you insist, I’ll give it a try,” he replied. Cyan looked at him in confusion. </p><p>𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺, 𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺, She concluded. White held out the card for her to take. She took the card back, confused by the leader’s response. </p><p>“Thanks for letting me use your card,” He beamed. Cyan flaunted her hand at him. </p><p>“Don’t mention it. I’m always happy to help,” She assured. White nodded his head and bid her goodbye. She waved back, watching the tall man exit the room. White sighed, saddened by his discovery.</p><p>𝘚𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘦𝘳, he fumed. In his past trips, every crew captain had access to the Cv. for every person on the team. White exhaled. He didn’t have the emotional capacity to remain angry for long. He felt hopeless, walking into the narrow hallway to Nav. </p><p>For the past week, he had been pretty unproductive. Lounging around the place, half-heartedly doing night-shifts, and now absent-mindedly lost in his day-dreams. Or nightmares. Being unproductive also meant that he had given up on self-care. Skipping showers and only taking hot delayed baths, falling asleep in the tub from exhaustion, and waking up in his soiled bathwater hours later. Having groggy thoughts of the future merged in with nightmares from the past, everything hurt. It didn’t help that every single person in his team was now avoiding him on purpose, convicting him of being the impostor that took Green’s life. He found it hard to keep his composure in front of them and often needed to break away from the crew. </p><p>Sometimes, he just wanted to cry in front of them and show them how fucking miserable he was-</p><p>𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯, 𝘩𝘶𝘩? He felt his heart slowing down and freeze into a clump of coldness. His fingers brushed against each other, numb from being left dangling out in the brisk temperature. His footsteps were steady, and his body ached everywhere. </p><p>𝘚𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘰, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 an 𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥. 𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴’𝘴 𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘏𝘢𝘻𝘦𝘭 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴. </p><p>“𝘊𝘰𝘣𝘺, 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺,” 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘥, 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘊𝘰𝘣𝘺 𝘳𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯. 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘺, 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘊𝘰𝘣𝘺’𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘪𝘳. 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘊𝘰𝘣𝘺’𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘺𝘯𝘤 𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱. 𝘊𝘰𝘣𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦.</p><p>White’s heart had sped up again. Tears were burning in his eyes. Tears that he was suppressing, subconsciously.  His eyes were blurred by them, but there was no need to see. He was still suffering through the random burst of nostalgic memories. It was like his brain was trying to trigger his delayed breakdown. </p><p>Hold it in, hold it in... he chanted quietly, clenching his hands. His knuckles were painted white.  </p><p>“𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴, 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵… 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱,” 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴. 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘳𝘢 𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 2𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘊𝘰𝘣𝘺’𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥.<br/>
𝘠𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘳. 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘺 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦’𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘱.</p><p>“𝘊𝘰𝘣𝘺, 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘺,” 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦’𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘣 𝘳𝘶𝘣 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘱 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘬. 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨.</p><p>“𝘐’𝘮 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵..." 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴," 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘵, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘥. 𝘔𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯. 𝘛𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵.” 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘥-𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘵, “𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵, 𝘪𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦... 𝘏𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳,” 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥. 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦’𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴. 𝘏𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦? </p><p>𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘕𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘶𝘵, 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴. 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳. </p><p>“𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘩?” 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥, 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴. 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯, 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥. </p><p>“𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦... 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧...” 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘩𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘹𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘵. 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘥.</p><p>“𝘊𝘰𝘣𝘺, 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘦. 𝘕𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴, 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬,” 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴. 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥. 𝘏𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘊𝘰𝘣𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵.<br/>
𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥.</p><p>White traced back Green's face. His grinning face with the little crinkle in the corner of his eye. Green’s deep dimples that White used to pretend to hate. His soft hazel eyes always were bright, which contrasted White’s dull watery orbs.  His light freckles spotted across his face, like the little stars everywhere.  Everything about Green was bright, luminescent; Everything on White was dull, hidden. They were polar. </p><p>Cringy as it was, Green was like the happiness and light that brightened White’s little world. </p><p>White let out a shaky breath and, he sat down on the floor. </p><p>As much as he just wanted to get up and investigate and…</p><p>He couldn’t. </p><p>His legs felt like jelly and, his eyes were burning. He was sore all over. His arms and legs were cold, despite being wrapped up in space gear. But the worst of all was how much his head was hurting. It was throbbing from staying up all night, overthinking, and crying over everything. It was aching from holding back. </p><p>White snapped out of his mini-meltdown. His senses started to kick back in as he cleared his nose. He could feel someone standing over him, not crouching, just hovering over him. White panicked,  thinking about his options. </p><p>He vividly blinked, exhaling a shaky breath. His arms were enveloped around his legs and, his head was propped up on his hands. His neck was hurting from holding the position for that long, and his arms were getting sore. White sat there like that for almost five whole minutes. Finally, he relaxed and sighed. </p><p>𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘮 𝘐 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘱𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳?He asked himself. The situation had stopped getting awkward and, now it was just pitiful. White peaked out one of his swollen eyes by twisting his head in place and saw two limbs covered in black. He looked back down. Of course, the one person he had least expected and dreaded seeing now.</p><p>𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺, White instructed himself, closing his eyes. His eyelids got heavy, but the other crewmate’s presence didn’t allow him to rest. </p><p>𝘏𝘦’𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦. 𝘋𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦? 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨? 𝘐𝘴 𝘩𝘦….White’s eyes flew open.</p><p>𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯… 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥. White inhaled the pine musk floating around him. White blinked back any tears that might have been evident on his face and looked up. His neck immediately thanked him as he cracked it.</p><p>𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, he realized, looking around him. He was sitting in the same spot, right in front of the modern blue walls decorated with wiring plates. He looked above him, expecting something to be dangling over his head, there wasn’t anything there. </p><p>The camera’s light started to bleep softly, contrasting against the cold blue walls. </p><p>White found it so ironic because usually, the only person who ever watched the cameras was Black. The dark-clad man was the only person on the left side who finished his task before each break. </p><p>White let his legs fall limp on the cold metal floor, feeling lighter. He sat up and looked into the camera. It blankly blinked back at him. Before he could stop himself, he offered a meek smile to the camera. He stopped smiling after realizing what he was doing. </p><p>White got back on his feet feeling a little better. That felt good, even if it was all in his head. He didn’t know why his brain had thought of Black, but he was kind of okay with it. Ever since their argument this morning, White hadn’t seen the crewmate around much, which makes enough sense.</p><p>White walked into Nav. and looked at himself in a square mirror hanging on the wall. </p><p>𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘸𝘧𝘶𝘭, he grimaced, staring at his reflection in the mirror. The whites in his eyes were red and, his pupils had contracted. His wrists were creased from being cut off blood circulation. His eye bags even looked darker. </p><p>The leader sighed and checked his holographic watch. </p><p>𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬… 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘴… 𝘗𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵… 𝘊𝘺𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧… 𝘙𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦...𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘵… 𝘠𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦...𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩… 𝘖𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦… 𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘵? He questioned his knowledge and had to read it twice. </p><p>𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘵, 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 3 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺? White being the paranoid person he is, feared the worst, that she had been brutally killed after their little feud. He walked out of Nav. in a hurry and sprinted to Shields. No one was there. White expected Brown to be in there at least, with Brown being in charge of the shields. While gulped, as the hairs on his neck stood up. </p><p>This was dangerous. </p><p>White noted his surroundings and swung himself into Comms., where Cyan was typing away on one of the smaller monitors. Unfortunately, Blue was in the room too. He was seated on the bean bag, intently listening to his girlfriend talk. White felt flustered intruding into the couple’s private time. Cyan turned to the panting leader, with a soft smile on her face. Blue refused to acknowledge the younger’s presence and kept looking at his fingernails. </p><p>“Have any of you seen Orange recently?” He gasped. Cyan and Blue exchanged cautious glances and shook their heads. White nodded and darted out the room.</p><p>He felt the coward in him glower in the thought of finding another body. His loud footsteps echoed across Storage, as the noise bounced right back at him. He ran up the entrance of Admin and peered in. It was unoccupied. White ran over to the huge digital map display.</p><p>He tapped on the Admin board to make the large screen light up. He glanced around the board. </p><p>1… 5… 8...10- He stopped, 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱. 𝘉𝘶𝘵… White sighed in relief and turned away from the keyboard. He had felt pressured for nothing. Orange was just being unproductive, like usual. But even this was a new low for her. </p><p>White walked out of the large room, glancing at the cafeteria. It was empty but, he decided to look around anyway. So basically, he was patrolling. </p><p>The dim lighting in the cafeteria made it the perfect place to kill, but who would do that? It is the most commonly used connection compartment. White walked to the left and stopped in front of the Dormitory and Medbay hallway.  </p><p>By far, this was the most unsettling hallway built onto the ship. The freezing air from Medbay was always in a clashing battle with the warm air from the dormitory hallway opening. White braced himself for the worst and walked in. The temperature thing took a while to get used to. He slowly made his way up to his room, where his door was locked shut. He fumbled in his pocket for his card.</p><p>There was no way he was going to leave his card anywhere, after being taunted by a crewmate. He took out the thin card and slid it into the slot of the lock. It snapped open and, he pushed inside. He took a look around the tiny cramped room. To his right was the door to the personal bathroom. The door was left half-open, with the lights turned out. After Blue moved out on him, he had pushed the two full-sized beds together. Now it was almost a king size. </p><p>The large bed wasn’t a hassle to put together in the morning because back when Green was alive, he had to organize both of their beds. And literally, everything else for the elder, because Green was lazy. White and Green didn’t have an excessive age gap, barely a year. </p><p>White looked at his plain covers with cross-blue lining. He wondered what he was going to do without his best friend. He could just go back home and forget his hopes and dreams. Just become his father’s comrade and take part in his mafia-like activities. Or he could just keep working on this until his body gives out, or something more sinister takes place. </p><p>White and Green had a very tiresome plan that they were working toward, but now that Green is gone, there was no hope. They were saving money together so that they could sue White’s dad and help his mom. Then they could live happily ever after. </p><p>They never discussed splitting the money or starting families because back then, they didn’t know if they were ever going to make it out alive. White sat there, lost in thought, which was a bad habit of his. He found himself suffering from his absentmindedness a lot. </p><p>After this trip, they would've only needed a small loan from a bank and would’ve been able to sue White’s dad. But, that won’t be happening because of Green’s death. Half of their team is gone, as well as the money. White rested his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. </p><p>𝘚𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘮 𝘐 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰? Tears rolled off his face and onto his hands. These thoughts are the ones that he was so badly trying to suppress. </p><p>From nostalgic memories to the cruel truth about his reality, it all came back to him. With tears streaming down his pale face, he looked like a man who had lost hope in life. White was so focused on Green, that he was blaming the elder for his own demise. </p><p>𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦? He gritted his teeth and fell back toward the bed. It caught him in the fall and, he let out little hiccups. </p><p>𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘐’𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘴𝘪𝘹 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶... White shivered at the thought of being stuck here for 12 more years. His mom wasn’t going to make it out alive. Hell, even his dad would’ve died because of his alcohol intake. </p><p>White remembered the amount of money he had saved. About 15 thousand dollars is what they had worked toward together. White had saved a little more than Green, only because of White’s abundant opportunities in being the leader. They needed only about 17.5k to file the lawsuit. If they had both made it alive out of this trip, they would only need a small loan. </p><p>White bit his lip in frustration, hard enough to draw blood. He almost realized it, when it was too late and ran to the bathroom. He looked into his reflection and just ignored the whole mess he was and stared at his busted lips. He sighed and averted his eyes away from the mirror. </p><p>In the past week, he had barely been sleeping evidently to the eye bags. His ability to perform tasks around the ship had severely been diminishing, thanks to his newly formed case of insomnia. </p><p>He even forgot to chart the ship’s course for the next few weeks but remembered almost an hour later.<br/>
White examined his face, which was stained with tears. His eyes and nose had swoll. He took off his inner suit, struggling because of his fatigue. Finally, he was standing there, in front of the mirror, and observing his physique. </p><p>He didn’t like being too critical with himself because losing your self-esteem won’t do you any good around here. But he ran his hand over his well-defined six-pack. He had been working toward eight but, what was the point now? He felt softer than before. For the last few weeks, he had been working on his pecs but now after his mini weight gain, they were looking fleshy. And he did not want to go back to his adolescent days where his man-boobs were larger than any woman that his dad had brought home. </p><p>He considered working out in his room because he had the equipment. He nodded and walked back into his bedroom. Looking at his bag, he felt his tiredness kick in, his laziness. After he stopped working out, he dreaded the day he would see his AB wheel again. He crouched over the sports bag and zipped it open. There laid his AB wheel, his resistance bands that were fastened together, so they did not get lost, and jump ropes. He looked up at the dressing room’s door that was situated in front of his bag. From there hung his portable pull up bar. It was sticking on the wall with metal adhesive tape. Right next to it was his TRX weights system. He looked at it all in anguish. </p><p>He decided to check in with the crew before starting with the workout. White walked away from his fitness corner in relief. He checked his watch, which now read 4:15 𝘗.𝘔. </p><p>𝘞𝘰𝘸, he thought, slipping on his inner suit again. White smoothed out the slightly crinkled garment, by running his hands over the edges. He turned back in the mirror. The creases in his face from loss of blood circulation was gone, as were his reddened swollen eyes. His lips were swollen and, it was now numbed to the touch. He opened the mirrored cabinets and took out a bottle of liquid antiseptic. He took his washed hands and held his lip. It was badly swollen, but the injury was only revealing inside of his mouth. </p><p>He hissed when dabbing the cotton wipe soaked in antiseptic at his lips. When he finished, his lips were blazing red. He sighed unscrewing the cap of the tubbed Aquaphor lip repair moisturizer. He scraped some of the smooth tops and massaged it gently onto his lips. His lips were stiff, yet pliable. They softened more after he applied a generous amount. </p><p>He took a couple of face wipes from the small box of them in the cabinet and wiped his face. Fortunately, it didn’t sting, which probably meant that he was probably acne clear. </p><p>𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩, he thought, staring at his face. He checked again for facial hair but didn’t have to worry because it would take him 30 years just to grow a stubble. He turned away from the mirror disappointed at his self-made remark. </p><p>He checked his breath which was as usual, minty fresh. He walked out of the bathroom and, out the bedroom door. Once again, he was greeted by the clashing of the Dormitory’s heated warm air and frigid cold air from Medbay. He walked through the rushing wind and into the upper engine. It was deserted, and it made enough sense. It was so hot on the left side of the ship. The coldest place on the left side was undoubtedly Medbay, but no one was allowed there. </p><p>Why? Because the identity of the Medbay attendant had to be hidden at all costs. Currently, it was Pink, who had also conducted the Genetic’s Test on Lime’s body. </p><p>White walked past the Upper engine and, into the entrances of Reactor and, Security. His heart thumped softly at the thought of seeing Black. Even if he imagined the whole consoling scenario involving Black, he knew his weak heart won’t be able to stand the other’s presence. He heard a woman’s laughter echo out from Reactor followed by many others. </p><p>Red, Purple, Brown, Orange, and Yellow were sitting in there all laughing over something. He walked in and, they all turned their heads to acknowledge the leader.  </p><p>Choruses of greetings ran out from the room and, White answered back to all of them. He was glad to see them enjoying themselves and at peace in such a stressful time. He grinned at them to show his satisfaction and leaned against the left wall, across from the vent. Yellow spoke up to acquaint the leader. </p><p>“White, listen, man, I’m sorry about your uh… friend's death,” Yellow changed the topic. Brown cut him off, supporting his fellow crewmate’s words. </p><p>“Yeah, like people should be way more sympathetic. Like you two were so close.” the brunette spoke up, his expression shifting to annoyance. Purple snorted, making everyone look at the nimble crewmate. </p><p>“Feel sorry? Listen, just because you're the pilot and you picked a fine-ass disguise, doesn’t mean that no one will suspect you. So drop the act fucker,” She growled, dropping a curse word at the end to enhance her statement. Orange stopped herself from laughing and backfired for White.</p><p>“You think he’s hot?” she retorted, making the others chuckle at the comment. Purple got flustered, a hue of blush blazing across her face. </p><p>“Look that’s not the point! And… You wouldn’t even understand because you're too busy sucking on his ass!” Purple retorted, with the others giggling. White looked disturbed at Purple’s use of her extended vocabulary. </p><p>“Purple, I’m sorry. You can suss me out all you want but, please do it respectfully,” White said, rolling his eyes at the raging crewmate. </p><p>Yellow and Red said different things at the same time and, White wasn't able to catch all of it. Red said something in the lines of, 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬? While Yellow said something like, 𝘗𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘥𝘢𝘺…</p><p>White just chuckled at both of their remarks, joined by the others. He suddenly remembered about Orange’s new record at procrastinating tasks. He decided to get it over with and asked all of them about their progress. </p><p>“Guys, wait. Since we are all just chilling here, who actually finished their tasks?” He asked. The laughter stopped as a bunch of them started to yell out their progression reports. White raised his hands in an attempt to calm them. They all were soon quiet and began informing the leader. </p><p>“I already finished,” Yellow casually shrugged and pointed at his friend, Brown,“ But he has two more left, right?” Brown nodded in confirmation of Yellow's message, as Purple spoke up. She wasn’t happy about reporting to the dubious leader but went along with it. </p><p>“Finished,” she said, looking away. Red looked up when realizing that he was next. Orange had kept quiet. Being the youngest, Red wasn’t used to being on the spot. </p><p>“Uh I finished,” he mumbled and looked at White. White in an approving manner, nodded his head as Orange spoke up.</p><p>“I uh-” She started but was cut off by Pink, who had entered the room without being noticed. White turned to face the senior. </p><p>“Orange- oh, hi, everyone,” she smiled, being greeted by the crew gathered by the reactor. Pink sat on the edge of the reactor, next to Brown. </p><p>“What did I miss?” She asked. Brown piped up, eager to fill her in. </p><p>“Oh, we were just telling White about our individual task progress,” Brown said, beaming at the senior. Pink thanked the crewmate and spoke up, stealing the spotlight from Orange. White almost thought Orange looked like she was relieved. </p><p>“I already finished. I was getting a snack because Snack is like, forever away ” She groaned, earning other complaints that matched hers. White sighed and spoke up. </p><p>“Guys you can’t just eat whenever you want. Yeah, I want to promote body positivity, but you can’t just eat whenever you want. I don’t want to reroute and bring the whole ship back to Mira just to restock on food,” He reasoned with the crew. Some of them mockingly rubbed their stomachs. </p><p>He turned his attention back to Orange, who was just trying to blend into the crowd. He hushed everyone and signaled the crewmate to speak up.</p><p>“Uh, so I was in Comms talking to Cyan because, you know who doesn't like talking to her” She blabbed on, earning consensus nods from everyone.”And now I’m here,” She quickly finished. White raised an eyebrow. </p><p>“So you didn’t go to Electrical the whole day?” he asked. The room became silent as she nodded her head and looked away as if she was about to be scolded. Orange was in charge of the electrical compartment. If she had not even been there today, she hadn’t done any tasks for the day. The lights were one of the most crucial parts of the ship. Without it, no one will be able to do their tasks. White was about to throw hands, but Pink spoke up. </p><p>“White, the truth is that ever since Green’s death, people have been afraid to visit the room-” She was cut off by the leader who raised his eyebrow. </p><p>“Why?” He asked. Brown spoke up.</p><p>“Because Green died there earlier, and just no one likes that place, you know? Like, it was already so dangerous from the start. It's rumored that the most dangerous place in a Skeld ship is Electrical. Plus, a death in our crew has already taken place there,” Brown finished, using his hands to explain to the leader. But, White didn't look impressed. </p><p>“So what Orange, couldn't you have brung people with you? Yellow finished, Red finished. Hell, I’m pretty sure Black finished hours ago. So what's your excuse for not bringing someone with you earlier?” He snapped. The other crewmates sat there, stilled like bystanders. </p><p>𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰𝘰, White thought. Pink slowly spoke up. </p><p>“It’s my fault. I promised Orange that I would go with her after I finished my tasks. And I guess... I took too much time,” She finished. White looked at her in pity. Her role as the Medbay Consultant was hidden as it was, so she also had to take Upper engine. That was way too much work for one crewmate to handle. White made up his mind and spoke up. </p><p>“Okay, fine then, just please finish up your tasks. Curfew is closing in, and I don’t want to assign night shifts,” he sighed. Everyone quietly began to get up, like they had attended a strict meeting. White watched as everybody exited the room in clumps, just happy to be out of the ominous atmosphere. </p><p>Soon he had made his way out of the scorching compartment and into the cooler hallway. Even if everything on the left side of the ship was feverishly hot to the leader, the hallway was a lot better than the actual compartments. White peaked his head into the security room. </p><p>Yellow and Purple were chatting on the right side of the room. Purple was sitting on the interrogation desk and, Yellow was standing by, teasing the other crewmate. Brown was also there and was peering over Black’s shoulder at the security screen. </p><p>Black. The crewmate was relaxed on his seat, almost like he had been there for too long. His eyes were fixed on the camera screen as he nodded to every word coming out of the crewmate hunched over him. Black seemed a little disturbed by Brown invading his personal space but was too modest to speak up about it. Plus this, was Brown, what harm has he ever caused to anyone?  </p><p>White sighed, resentful of the intimate crewmate. He didn’t know why he was so worked up over Black. And why he got so frustrated over someone interacting with the timid crewmate. </p><p>𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦? White wondered. The emotional toll was messing with his head, as he made his way up to the confined passing compartment. It was hot as ever. White could not wrap his head around why any of them would be sitting around the reactor. Yet whenever he walks on the troop, they are always seated around the burning catalyst. </p><p>𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴? He asked himself, standing in front of Electrical. He walked into the gray room with an abundance of wires. Electrical had a certain ambiance where it always felt like a sauna without the steam. That was the best way to describe it.  It smelled clean enough with the scent of sparks burning engulfed the warm room. Warm air was venting into the chamber, giving it a more humane atmosphere. White finally spotted Red, Orange, and Pink cornering the Calibrator. While Orange was busy with her task, the other two were nervously glancing over at the same spot where Green’s body had been found. </p><p>White took a shaky breath and walked out of Electrical. After having a mental breakdown over Green’s demise, he was still a little susceptible to the topic. </p><p>It felt good to get a fresh breath of air, away from the dreaded environment. The hallway in front of Electrical had always felt like the perfect temperature. The warm air flowing out of Electrical complemented the brisk air from Storage. </p><p>𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨, he sighed. White made his way across the spacious compartment scattered with large metal canisters. His eyes lingered onto the striking red fuel tank fixated on a metallic adhesive lock. He reminded himself to check the task progress bar on his watch. </p><p>White’s watch rang up on cue as he made his way into Communications empty hallway. He taped on the digital screen when it lit up. He gently pressed his ungloved thumb onto the cold surface as it verified him. His eyes scanned the top of the screen and found the little notification he was searching for:</p><p>𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱: Black- Found them, meet me tonight at Comms.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Did you like the new chapter?<br/>Yes? No?<br/>(◕︿◕✿)<br/>Comment down below what you liked or didn't about it! Also I am sorry for the grammar mistakes, I tried to correct as many as I could've. Please correct me if I'm wrong.<br/>Also if you have any comments, feel free to leave it down below!<br/>Next chapter will be quite the ride<br/>(◕‿&lt;)<br/>Also remember to do the two-8s: Get eight hours of sleep and eight glasses of water! Be safe and healthy (人´∀｀)．☆．。．:*･°</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Perspective</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A friendly match between Blue and Yellow takes place, as some of the relations are uncovered. View Black and White's rendezvous from both of their perspectives.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Welcome back to 2 moons to my world! Gee, I just realized how cringy my title is. So, I know that my little hiatus was uncalled for but, I'll keep trying to work on my story and hope it goes well!<br/>I hope you enjoy this chapter, and it might be a bit confusing so if you have any questions or concerns feel free to comment!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Blue held an intense gaze onto the honeycomb-like-yellow board. It almost was completely filled up with the little yellow and red pieces. For the last 40 minutes, he had been going at a Connect 4 game and, it had all come down to this. Beads of sweat trickled down his temple as he focused harder.</p><p>        He looked up at his opponent's eye, trying to catch any subtly indecisive behavior from the crewmate. He got nothing but an irritatingly conspicuous expression. A thin scowl marked the elder’s lips. </p><p>        The board was severely full as it was in its most crucially dangerous stage. His red pieces, incoherently scattered across the board, as the brighter yellow pieces seemed so perfectly staged. He couldn't grasp on to his peace of mind, even as he was focusing harder. </p><p>        There was no doubt that Yellow was the king of Connect 4, as every crewmate on the ship acknowledged it. The only two people that won even one game against him are Purple and coincidentally, Green. Yellow had actually claimed the crown following Green's death. </p><p>        Blue looked back at the board and noticed something that made him clench his jaw. </p><p>       𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘱! 𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘥. Blue exhaled, looking around. Everyone in the room was giving him amused glances, and some were even trying to hide it. His eyes quickly averted away, with him not wanting to show defeat. He kept his composure and contemplated his decisions. </p><p>        Promptly, he had lifted his hands as everyone watched in surprise. Yellow looked up, also confused. </p><p>        “Good game,” he admitted. Yellow gave him a confused stare, as did everyone else in the cafeteria.  </p><p>        “But the game isn’t over yet,” Yellow said, squinting a bit. Blue fixed a cold glare onto the other’s forehead. </p><p>       𝘖𝘩, 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦, 𝘩𝘶𝘩? Blue thought, coming up with a snarky comment to come back. </p><p>        “So wasn’t your hairline,” Blue snickered, shrugging. Yellow’s eyes widened, but he didn’t look offended. He laughed at Blue’s comment and slapped the elder on the back, who flinched slightly. </p><p>        “Good game,” Yellow beamed, taking his hand off Blue’s back. Blue winced in his mind at the other crewmate’s brute strength. Blue wondered if Yellow bashed his back on purpose or was just trying to be a good sport. Probably a mix of both. Blue grinned back to hide the pained expression that would’ve been plastered on his face otherwise.</p><p>        Yellow was one of the more delightful crewmates in the team, always making everyone’s day by fucking existing. The downside is that he is as naive as he is well-built. Well, not only naive but also oblivious. </p><p>        If there is one thing in the ship that Blue had seen often, it was the “drama” between the minors. Now with some of them being fresh off the drinking age, it was hard not to admit that there was flirtatious tension everywhere. Blue was not by far the oldest crew member who couldn’t fathom how they could be frolicking at a time like this. </p><p>        𝘈𝘮 𝘐 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘭𝘥? He asked himself, considering his mental age. Yellow watched as Blue made his way to his own table and sat down with Pink, who was looking bored. </p><p>        Yellow turned away from the senior’s designated table and to his friends, who were cheering him on this win. He grinned and gave them a thumbs-up, making his way over to the table. He sat down slowly, the table screeching at the slightest bit of added pressure. Brown, who was sitting next to him, gave him a concerned look before speaking up. </p><p>        “Yellow, why did you let that boomer walk all over you?” Brown asked, lowering his gaze and pursing his lips. The whole table exchanged curious glances. Yellow smiled understandingly, eager to fill in the crew. </p><p>        “Guys, it's not a big deal! It was just a friendly match, and he had just been a good sport by messing around a bit,” Yellow grinned at his friends, who either facepalmed or just sat there unbothered by his antics. There were five of them sitting around the table: Yellow, Brown, Purple, Orange, and Red. Purple was resting her head on her palm, looking away from the table, giving Yellow the impression that she didn’t care much for his victory. Yellow tried to brush off the behavior from his fellow crewmate but kept stealing glances while conversing with the rest of the table. When she did direct her glance to meet his own, he looked away quickly.</p><p>        Yes, it was true Yellow was indeed crushing on the Purple-clad crewmate. It took him almost a whole month to come to his senses, and he wasn’t going anywhere with it. </p><p>        Purple was at the time, dressed in a baggy pair of dark gray sweats and a purple tank top. This ship had a peculiar set of rules set by the leader, some of which Yellow thought was unnecessary. Like curfew which, was always by 6 P.M, from which point they were free to do whatever they wanted. Yellow didn’t mind working late hours, but with how efficient their team was, he didn’t worry about having to. Also, when it was past curfew, they were all required to wear clothes coordinated by their respective colors. </p><p>        But if there was one thing that Yellow respected the leader for, it was his mercy on the crew. On his last voyage, the pilot had locked everyone outside of the ship as soon as they had reached Polus’s excavation site for the artifacts. He had claimed that it was for protection. Sure everyone almost had frozen to death but, the worst thing was that one of the crewmate’s daughter had taken her last breaths on the planet. Later on, the crew had to vote out the senior, who was the mother of the little girl because she had attempted to murder the captain. Yellow was utterly disgusted by the behavior of the privileged people of the world. But with such a power struggle in the society, who could he blame?</p><p>        He locked eyes with the crewmate across the table, who only spared him an empty glance, returning to her intimidating staring contest with Orange. Orange broke away from the match and grinned at Brown and Yellow.</p><p>        “Yeah, I think Yellow definitely owned that game, even if it took like an hour to come too. Too bad he was such a sore loser about it,” she smirked, turning back and meeting Pink’s eye. Pink returned the favor, as Blue looked confused by the tension between the two crewmates sitting at tables across from each other. He discreetly leaned across the table to reach the crewmate. </p><p>        “You better not be simping for that minor,” He whispered, quietly threatening the crewmate. Now, if this was anyone else, Blue, wouldn’t have ever considered a pair of innocent exchanged smiles could ever mean anything. But this was Pink he was talking about. Genius, E-girl extraordinaire, Playgirl. Blue sighed at the thought of looking after her for the rest of the trip. Pink glanced at him solemnly annoyed and, Blue knew that she wasn’t having it. </p><p>        “What on earth is wrong with being a sore loser?” She hollered at the top of her voice, placing her hands on her hips, “It shows you cared about whatever the contest was in the first place. So fucking lose graciously,” She smirked. </p><p>        Blue glared at her, had he not been expecting anything less than her immature stunt. Crew members from the other table looked over cautiously, some snickering. Blue caught Pink giving Orange a playfully suggestive smile. He looked over at Orange, who had taken the baiting smirk. </p><p>        Poor girl, Blue pondered, ignoring the whole cafeteria, where everyone was taunting him. Blue looked up when noticing that Black was getting out of his seat. To give mercy to the big elephant in the room, Black was by far the most sought out crewmate of ship 207. Blue found that disturbing. Nor, did the crewmate carry himself with a sensible measure of dignity or have that irresistible of looks to start with. Goes to show how a few extra inches can bring a redundancy of admiration. Perhaps Blue might’ve been a little spiteful of the timid crew member. Blue sighed at all of these simple people eyeing Black, who was getting out of his seat. </p><p>        Black exited the room, aware of all the eyes fixated on his back. He made his way into the temperature-wise unstable hallway and onto his room. Black took out his card in the dimly lit corridor and slipped it into the lock. The lock snapped open and, he pushed himself into the dorm room.</p><p>        It was messy as ever, with his dark garments sprawled out over the bed. He sat down on the bed as it creaked. As the creaking dissolved into the absolute silence, Black’s excitement rose feverishly, as the idea of having his mate to himself excited him. </p><p>        𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘦. </p><p>        He traced back the crewmate’s every trait. His lightly-colored eyes look like pools of fractured amethyst. His light hair glowed silver in the moonlight, reminding him of the first time he had met the human. Black’s lips formed into a lusty soft smile reminding himself of the mark’s effects. </p><p>        𝘋𝘪𝘻𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴… 𝘈𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵… 𝘐𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘖𝘹𝘺𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘯, 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘯,… 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺…</p><p>        Black's heart ached, his mind becoming intoxicated at the thought. </p><p>        𝘏𝘦’𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦.</p><p>        𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨.</p><p>        𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘦. </p><p>        𝙎𝙚𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙢. 𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙥 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣. 𝙃𝙚’𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩…?</p><p> </p><p>        𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘦... Black convinced himself, thinking back to when this harmless admiration for the crewmate became a duty. </p><p>        𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝙨𝙤 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙤 𝙥𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨. </p><p>        …</p><p>        𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙪𝙥𝙨𝙚𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚…</p><p>        Black’s heart faltered at the thought of White rejecting him. </p><p>        𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘐’𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧- </p><p>        𝙎𝙝𝙪𝙩 𝙪𝙥 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙣𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚, 𝙞𝙩’𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙚. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙤 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙗𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙬, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙚. </p><p>        ...</p><p>        𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙧 𝙪𝙥 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙖 𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙧. 𝙉𝙤𝙬, 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙖 𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙄𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧. 𝙄𝙩’𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩. 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙞𝙢.</p><p>        The voice suggestively spoke to him. </p><p>        𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙡𝙚𝙙𝙜𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙄𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙢. </p><p>        𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺.</p><p>        𝘿𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩, 𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝... 𝙮𝙚𝙩.</p><p>        Black subconsciously nodded, holding up his hand. His tender human skin hurt from the watch pulling at it all day. He turned the watch on with a simple tap of the screen. He didn’t bother to set a lock to his watch, since there was no point. He scanned his eyes over the home page and read the time. </p><p>        6:57, Black looked away from the little device. The watch could only do so many things. The humane norm. No internet, no way to reach Earth. Apps that included a dull messenger, with only the ability to message the leader. </p><p>        Black had spent numerous hours from his rookie days studying the little device. Now, he hated carrying it. Black rubbed his wrist, not wanting to think about where humans came from. The reality was that Black didn’t kill. He defended and only killed when it was necessary or he was starving. Impostors can live for a long time without food, so that would never count as a legitimate reason to kill.  </p><p>        𝘞𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰, Black thought. They are pressured to because if they don’t, the humans will return the favor. It was a mantra that Black had repeated to himself every day. </p><p>        Black had been there countless times as crewmates threw each other out. Even at the times when the screen had lit up green, he stood there behind the real crewmates watching one of his kind thrashed out there for seconds before the suit became limp. From Impostor to crewmate, he was taught, to never feel remorse for anyone. Thrown into a ship of food, starved and, not being able to eat because you have to fear death. Everyone had to do it, living in fear of their whole lives. </p><p>        Serve them until you can't serve anymore. Only then have you fulfilled your duty as a citizen.</p><p>        When you slip into a human, you feel humane emotions. An abundance of emotions that makes Impostors question their sanity. Black liked to think of Impostors as superhumans. </p><p>        𝘞𝘦, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴, 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘶𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱. 𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙪𝙨. Black flinched. He shook his head and got up from the bed. He was still feeling energized at the thought of interacting with White. Well, not interacting but communicating. </p><p>Black walked into the bathroom and gently pushed the door as it closed behind him. He shrunk himself into a glob of clear jelly. It felt good to be in this form because this way, he wasn't susceptible to pain. But also, he became dehydrated quite easily. It made him feel hidden and inferior. Sometimes that was just what he wanted to feel.  </p><p>        He had managed to crawl out of the suit as he transformed back into a human. He was sitting upright because that was how he had also coordinated his jelly form. He stood up, shaky after shifting forms. After his most recent kill, where he had to tear off someone's head, he found it much harder to work his other forms. Shifting even made him a bit light-headed. He took brief steps closer to the shower and reached in. When his hands found the cold knob, he twisted it to a slightly warmer temperature than he usually uses. He retracted his hand. He liked bathing in colder water. It reminded him of his home, and he overheats pretty fast. Randomly, he recalled of his watch, which he lost in the hefty pile of dark garments on the floor.<br/>
Because he didn’t care much about the equipment, he left it there and checked on the temperature again. </p><p>        𝘕𝘪𝘤𝘦, he approved stepping in. Luckily the ground had heated up because of the rushing water. He grabbed the tall bottle of body wash from the shelf situated eye level with him. It was the shower gel kind and, Black squeezed some onto his hands. Held in the stream of running water, it started to dissolve and lose viscosity. He grabbed one of the mesh poufs from the same shelf and poured the liquid onto the spongy surface. It got dissolved in quickly and soon was ready for use. </p><p>        Black coarsely grazed his skin with the pouf as it left behind some foam. He liked the fragrance of the soap. It was Pine flavored. Black didn’t know much about what Pine was exactly, just that it smelled nice and it had to do with Earth.</p><p>        He set the pouf down on the shelf and finished cleaning himself.</p><p>        Warm water spilled down his collarbone, washing off the foam residue from his toned frame. After washing himself, he turned the shower off. His body eased at contact with the immediate burst of frigid air. Black stepped out of the shower and onto the amber-colored rug, as it enveloped his feet at every step. </p><p>        He ran his slim fingers through his damp hair which, was cold to the touch. His complexion looked darker than usual. </p><p>        Black opened his mirrored cabinet and took out a squeeze-bottle of gel moisturizer. He squeezed a generous amount onto his hands and caressed his hand over his flexed forearm. </p><p>        𝘋𝘳𝘺, he confirmed dabbing some of the gel onto several portions of his body. </p><p>        Soon, he had finished moisturizing. He flung off a dark towel hanging off the rack. Then he wiped the towel over his body to get rid of any excess moisture still clinging to him.<br/>
After dwelling with humans for too long, he picked up a few things about their hygiene. He flicked open the faucet handle and washed the slippery residue from his hands under the running stream of chilling water. He turned it off, shaking excess water off his hands.<br/>
Black had shaved earlier this week, so he didn’t bother checking for facial hair. But he did run his fingers down his chin. </p><p>        Black grabbed a water-based hair gel, careful not to damage his delicate human hair. When you are an Impostor, you have a lot of forms you can shift from. But unlike his other forms, like the transparent jelly, his human body was prone to bruising, getting out of shape, and especially injury. </p><p>        Black massaged the gel onto the length of his dark locks and a little onto his scalp, just to ensure protection. He grabbed the metallic-colored hairdryer from the wall-mounted-hook where it always hung.<br/>
He turned the device on and reached for his watch, which was supposed to be on the counter. </p><p>        𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙚𝙛𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙧, Black remembered. He bent down to search for it. The watch happened to be in one of the sleeves of his abandoned black task suit, where he had last dropped it.<br/>
He sighed, contemplating why White had requested Mira make everything on the ship Bluetooth connected. Black wasn’t complaining, but what was White worrying about, crewmates stealing each other’s hairdryer?</p><p>        𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖.</p><p>        𝘊𝘶𝘵𝘦. </p><p>        Black smiled amiably at his fingers, snapping out of it. He turned the watch on and tapped on the Bluetooth app. Black clicked on his hairdryer, selecting the usual settings, and watched as the dryer roared to life. He guided the hairdryer around his head at a safe distance. Finally, when he approved of the dryness of his hair, he turned the device off with a simple tap of his watch. Soon, the hum of the hairdryer had died out into the silence.<br/>
Black looked at his clothes on the floor and bent down to grabbed all of them at once. </p><p>        He twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open. Luckily, no one was in the room and, Black considered what he should wear to their little rendezvous. </p><p>        𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙙.</p><p>        𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺.</p><p>        He dug through the messy pile on his bed, trying to find something decent. </p><p>        𝙇𝙤𝙤𝙠, 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤. 𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙪𝙥. </p><p>        Black rolled his eyes, picking up a black drop shoulder sweatshirt. It was the only thing that he thought didn’t make him look like a hobo or like he was trying too hard. Black set it down on his pillow. Next, he walked over to his minimum selection of pants to find something suitable. He picked up a lighter pair of Nike joggers to go with his top and snatched a pair of briefs from the designated drawer. </p><p>        Finally, Black was ready, so he checked the time, which read 7:30. By now, most of the crewmates were probably in bed. Either they were afraid of being killed outside the dorms or get caught by their leader beyond. </p><p>        Black wondered about how much time they were going to spend there. He had only given White the instruction to show up in Comms. He had found all the Cv. at security, which was where he spent the majority of his time. </p><p>        Black suddenly was reminded of when he had encountered White having a breakdown in front of his own compartment. Black didn’t know what to do. He was startled by the crewmate, as he had only come there to deliver the Cv. He only kept watch, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention.  </p><p>        When Black had noticed that White was getting back to his senses, he had tensed. But White had no intentions of thanking him or even confronting him, evident to White peaking up only to catch a glimpse of his limbs perhaps. Black had waited for an uncomfortable amount of time for White to greet him, but he never did. </p><p>        Black felt stupid for even looking after him and expecting to get a reaction from the younger. Later that day, he had sent White the message to meet him at Comms. </p><p>        𝘾𝙤𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙. </p><p>        𝘐’𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.</p><p>        𝙃𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪.</p><p>        𝘏𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦. </p><p>        𝙏𝙨𝙠- 𝙒𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙝 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨. </p><p>        Black stopped talking to himself, thinking that depriving the other of attention could get him to shut up. </p><p>        He sat down on his bed to let the adrenaline and anguish seep in. He did not want to commit more fallacies in front of White. Black quickly glanced at his watch again, feeling calmer than before. Only minutes had passed, and Black was ready to wait by Comms. He pushed himself on his feet. He grabbed the Cv. which was lying on his vacant nightstand. </p><p>        Black took a sizable step to the door and drew it open. The dim lighting from the hallway seemed brighter now that his eyes had adjusted to the dark dorm room. He walked into the moderately sized hallway and made his way to the gaping intersection. </p><p>        Black wondered where his roommate was. Red was pretty reserved, a bit like himself. What could the crewmate be doing at this time of night? </p><p>        He let the thought slide and focused on the gathering with White. What was he going to say? </p><p>        𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙩 𝙗𝙪𝙩, 𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝘽𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨.</p><p>        𝘐 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦.</p><p>       𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤? </p><p>       𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵? </p><p>       𝙉𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣… 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙, 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩?</p><p>       𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬. </p><p>        Black looked ahead, walking into Cafeteria. It would make enough sense if he is an Impostor. Brown seemed like an inexperienced Impostor wanting to win more than anything else. He didn’t want the humans for consummation purposes, nor the thrill. He just wanted to get out alive. Black also had other reasons to believe that the other Impostor was Brown. Brown being a younger crewmate, doesn’t know how to behave out in public, trying to act normal rather than unique. Humans have many distinctive factors, making their species diverse. They have all been raised and disciplined differently, with an abundant selection of surroundings. “Blending in,” isn’t an option. </p><p>        Also, the minor is quite tenacious toward him. Usually, trailing behind him, being quite intimate during the times that they are alone. Younger Impostors are a lot more likely to be able to sense an older, rarely the other way around. An Impostor’s instinct to want another during times of crisis. </p><p>        Black could care less about the other’s conditions. During a mission, the most helpful thing that an older Impostor could do for a younger is ignoring them. Love, friendship, hatred will never be important in an Impostor’s journey. Because in the end, the chances of you making it out alive are dependent on your ability to be self-sufficient. </p><p>        Black offered an empty glance at his scenery and walked into Storage. He didn’t like the room because of how hollow it has always been. </p><p>        𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩.</p><p>        Black ignored himself and wet his lips. He focused on White again, clutching the Cv. in his hand. There was a likely possibility that White might never show up. The younger had a habit of forgetting things and drifting into his thoughts. </p><p>        But then again, all of this happened. </p><p>        𝘾𝙖𝙣’𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨. 𝙆𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙠𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙡𝙮? 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙧𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤, 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙫𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙩?</p><p>        Black ignored his inner thoughts like he always did. He walked into the confined hallway, directing to Comm. He loosened his grip on the files in hand. </p><p>        Black peaked in to be greeted by no one. He walked in and set the Cv. on the polished wooden table alongside the entrance. </p><p>        𝙃𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙪𝙥. </p><p>        Black sighed, afraid that the suggestion might’ve been the circumstances. He leaned against the same table, flicking his finger against the rim. Black looked back at the plain files on the table. He had already flipped through its contents and gotten a gist of it. Before this intriguing experience, Black had never known about the significance of a Cv. But, he had listened in on his other captains, from other ships threaten the crew with the Cv. </p><p>        Black didn’t think that this threat was ever remotely the case. The Impostor's HQ also had their ways of sculpting Cv. for each of its members. Usually, the process is pretty efficient. But, sometimes there are a few miscalculations. This is why administrative pilots turn to the Cv. for background checks. But, what are the odds that they forget to forge the Mira symbol into your Cv.?</p><p>        Now, Black wasn’t stupid. He knew that the only reason White had permitted him to access the Cv., was because he was confused by the mark. Yes, White had explicitly given Black his identification card in exchange for Black committing to the labor of finding them in the first place. Plus, Black didn’t mind the free admission to elsewhere in the ship.</p><p>        For example, he got to open the disposal chamber on his own. The place was off-limits for crewmates because rarely did anyone know how to operate the compartment. And White did not want prying crewmates disposing of themselves by unlocking the airlock by accident. </p><p>        Also, he got to open Medbay. Black found it kind of smart to hide the Medbay consultant. But, stupid because if the Impostor vented into there, the paramedic would have to suffer a painful death. </p><p>        Of course, Black tried to sneak a peak in there. But he never did catch the pesky crewmate. He sighed at the loss of a great opportunity, glancing at his watch, which blinked on. </p><p>        7:56 P.M. </p><p>        His eyes drifted off the little gadget. </p><p>        𝙎𝙤 𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩, 𝙝𝙪𝙝? </p><p>        Black got back on his feet, ready to head out. He made sure to leave the files on the table and made his way out of Comms. Black was tired of waiting. As much as he wanted to be there for the crewmate, he didn't want White to see him as a resource. Sometimes, he found himself treating White as one of his fellow Impostors. Looking out for him, but never confronting him. Maybe it was better this way. </p><p>        He stepped out of the room and quickly made his way to the end of the hallway. But he was stopped dead in his tracks because he came face-to-face with White. </p><p>        White’s shortness of breath was evident through his vivid gasping. His hair was messy with tousles of locks roughly shifted but, Black didn’t mind the look. Decadent blood streamed through his veins, faster than Black was used to handling. </p><p>        Black took a step back before the pervert in him made him look more deviant than he had to. The crewmate's erratic heartbeat was brought to the Impostor's attention. </p><p>        Black tried not to find the heartbeat or blood rushing seductive. As an Impostor, his mind wasn’t functioned to find things alluring in that sense in the first place. It was only the human body that he currently occupied that made him feel such emotions. And one of those humane emotions happens to be lust. </p><p>        Lust is on par with the most ominous traits of the human body. At least it is critical to Impostors. Impostors when sedated with the susceptibility to the feeling, can go haywire. Mixing Impostoral instincts with humane ones can result in mania. </p><p>        Black would much rather be a lifeless morsel of clear fluid than human. But that didn’t matter anymore because Black had already taken up the responsibility of being White’s other half. And it didn't help that his own bond to the mark made it impossible for him to overlook these lethal feelings. Or that White was more of an alluring individual. </p><p>        White’s eyes traced over Black’s frame, examining for the Cv. His heart faltered in defeat when realizing that the other was about to leave. </p><p>        White was intrigued to bite his lip as it was a habit but caught himself. Over and over again, he had been messing up. Late to reply to crewmates, checking the task progress, and now this. A crewmate who was taking time out of their day to help damn old him clear himself. He opened his mouth to say something to Black, who cut him off. </p><p>        “I left the Cv. in there, review it when you have time,” Black lowered his voice, cracking as he spoke. He slipped his hands into his pockets, walking past the pilot. </p><p>        𝘏𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱, White concluded, biting his lip.     </p><p>        White caught his breath quickly, ashamed of his tardiness. Black’s footsteps echoed across the gaping entrance of the hallway, as White stood where he was and spoke up slowly. </p><p>        “Thanks for finding the Cv.,” he acknowledged tensing his forearms. He heard the footsteps die out quickly as the crewmate turned to look at him. White faced the other as Black made his way over. White didn’t know why, but he held his breath, anticipating something to happen.  </p><p>        The elder grabbed White’s identification card out of his pocket and held it out to the crewmate. </p><p>        “Here, don’t give it to someone without knowing their intentions again,” Black suggested. White offered Black a sly smile that slowly formed on his lips. The pilot was looking forward to lightening the mood. </p><p>        “But I had known of your intentions. You were just trying to locate the Cv.,” White mockingly tilted his head, ”Isn’t that right?”<br/>
Black didn’t show much reaction other than averting his eye from the crewmate’s frame. White seized the card from Black’s hand and, wryly, sighed. So much for befriending the crewmate. </p><p>        “Do you need help browsing through the Cv.?” Black interrupted White’s trail of sole thoughts. White rolled his eyes, ready to play the act. </p><p>        “Of course, I do! I’m just a damsel of a pilot who can’t even assign tasks for his crewmates. What can I do without my little helper?” White cried out, dramatically shaking his head. White watched as Black turned around, already heading into Comms. </p><p>        “But wait!” he called, making Black halt in his tracks, “How can I trust you? I don’t even know your intentions!” he taunted. Black spun around to meet the amused pilot. White stopped to snicker at the crewmate, who wasn't having it. </p><p>        “Fine then, do it yourself,” Black said. White’s smile disintegrated within a second, and he reached his hand to call out to the retiring crewmate. </p><p>        “Wait, geez I was kidding,” White called out. Black once more was stopped as he was about to exit the corridor. As much as White wanted to keep up the act, White needed help from the crewmate. Of course, he could spend hours meticulously scanning everyone’s voluminous Cv. and drink a gallon of sweetened energy drinks, but he would much rather get a night of sleep. Black took large steps into Comms., done with the crewmate. White looked up when noticing that the other had already gone in. </p><p>        𝘈𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘷., 𝘭𝘦𝘵'𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬, pried White, making his way into the room. White couldn’t pretend that Black had never at least once sneaked a peek at the informative reports. So why not just ask him about it?</p><p>        White barged into the room. Black was keenly looking through one of the files, not even trying to hide it. White considered guilt-tripping the member but held it off for now. He walked over to the crewmate and inspected over his shoulder, deciding not to take Black’s uncomfortable glance into account. </p><p>        “Whose are you looking at?” White asked, using his own hand to flip to the next page and back. He was trying to get a gist of Black’s progress. White concluded that currently Black was done with a quarter of Red’s file, taking note of the lengthy files piled behind Black. </p><p>        “I finished three files already it's my fourth one,” Black clarified the real question pending in the pilot’s mind. White grinned, appreciative of Black’s service. To even decode one sentence, it would take White three hours of intensive thinking.</p><p>        “Do you want to read more or, are you gonna call it a night ?” White asked. He didn’t want to overpressure the crewmate. Just finding the Cv. seemed like a pain in the ass. Before Black could answer him, White noticed a darkly colored spiral notebook overlapped by some of the scattered files. He reached over Black as the elder moved out of the way quickly. His fingers grasped around the metallic wire as he slid it toward himself.</p><p>        Black watched as he picked up the book. </p><p>        “What’s this?” White muttered, flipping the cardboard cover. Black looked along with him as if he hadn’t known what was recorded in the little book. White glanced over the messy but legible handwriting scattered throughout the first page of the book. He read the heading and concluded that it was a summary of the Cv. </p><p>        “Since I studied three of the Cv. already, I thought that I should write some notes on them,” Black explained inaudibly. White nodded his head. </p><p>        “I can see that,” White hummed, flipping to the next page, “Wow, you take pretty good notes. Wanna help me with the rest?” </p><p>        White didn’t worry much about being fed false information, but he did want Black helping him out. Of course, White was going to proofread the notes after. Black replied with a nod and, White set the notebook back on the desk beside the crewmate. Black got off the desk and examined the pile for the three documents he had already finished deconstructing. White remembered that he had left his laptop in Nav. and had to excuse himself. </p><p>        “Black?” White’s voice vibrated the empty silence as Black looked up. He hummed, questioning the pilot as he kept speaking. </p><p>        “I left my laptop in Nav., I’m just going to run and get it, okay?” White notified the crewmate. Black looked up in acknowledgment. White offered a small smile and walked out of the compartment. He was feeling better today. At least now he had something to do that was going to ensure him a spot in the crew. White's footfall ricocheted down the hall. </p><p>        He was getting back on his feet despite often being overwhelmed by the melancholy of his loss. Green would’ve been proud. White had considered going back to Earth and staying there for good. He couldn't just stay here for the next decade and watch as every one of his relatives died out on him. </p><p>        White needed to be there for his mom as she was all he had left. White sighed, trying to stop thinking of his life back on Earth and focus on his mission now. He walked past Shields, not paying much attention to the flashy compartment. </p><p>        He had earlier brainstormed about the first case and came down to some qualities that the Impostor ought to possess. They are bound to catch them sooner rather than later. White now, didn’t care much about clearing himself. He just wanted to find the Impostor who had taken Lime’s life. If he were to take more significant steps like focus on Green’s case or just clearing himself, he might risk his leftover integrity. </p><p>        White reached the entrance of his own task compartment. It was dimly-lit because he hadn’t stepped in yet. There were motion sensor lights. </p><p>        He walked in, still unnoticed, and grabbed the touchscreen convertible PC. He flipped it open and tapped on the screen as it lit up. His bright lock screen flashed and, he swiped to enter the code.<br/>
He stopped for a brief moment to close the laptop. He needed to get back to Black ASAP before the crewmate ridiculed him for being hung up.</p><p>        White walked out of his compartment, clutching the computer close to his chest. He felt a bit worn out since he had been running around the whole day. When Black informed him that he was terrible at assigning tasks, he wasn’t wrong. Sometimes, White found himself being the only person on night shifts. </p><p>        White had entirely forgotten about his meeting with Black because he was working night shifts around Electrical. Only, after he had gone back to his room, had he realized he was about to miss their little meet. </p><p>        Sometimes White thought he was going to lose it. As kind as the crew was, for mostly not blaming him for Green’s demise, he still couldn’t believe that his best friend was gone. And if he keeps mourning, the ship might not make it out alive because of him. White was now disputing everything about Green's case. </p><p>        How could this have happened? White couldn’t even bring himself to initiate his inner forensic scientist. It all felt so unreal. Less than an hour before Green’s death, they had lunch together. White could even vividly remember what he and Green had that day. At the lunch table, Green was goofing around as usual. White was amused by the crewmate's antics, despite the grave atmosphere throughout the ship. Afterward, White had to go back to Navigation because the spacecraft needed to steer clear of a rough part of the course. He couldn’t just skip the session as Shields and Weapons required him to steer the ship.</p><p>        Before, White had already avoided the idea of Green and him being on separate sections of the ship. But at the time, Green was the Electrical consultant and, he was the Pilot. When White had annihilated around the roughest of asteroids, he was free to go. White had taken a shower back at his dorm, and that was the last straw. When the crew later had received Green’s autopsy report, it was indicated, that his death had taken place around the same time White was most likely bathing. </p><p>        White now, dreaded taking time to properly wash up. If he even attempted to treat the chore-like no other, he would seemingly sob himself to sleep in his filthy bathwater. It was disgusting as it was pitiful. White’s mood had also drastically shifted. As much as he was trying to be there for his team, he was distant. The most dimwitted prosecutions of self-report directed toward him could break him.<br/>
White tried to convince himself that it was okay, the situation was obvious. White would lose his composer so fast in front of the team that, they would be too tempted to vote him out. Or worse, look down on him. Pity him. White didn’t need their pity.</p><p>        But the isolation was clearly not the answer. White didn’t have anyone else in the unit that was even remotely as close to him as Green was. Sure, Cyan is the closest but, she is attending to every being on the ship. And she has Blue, that old wrinkled hag latched onto her back. Plus, White didn’t want to take out his frustration and grief on innocent crewmates.<br/>
White was at Shields, having no recollection of how he had arrived there in the first place. He let his hand, which was holding the laptop dangle, loosely.  </p><p>        When he heard the sudden flipping of paper, he sighed a breath of relief. Black had already resumed, analyzing the Cv. The pilot walked back into the room, locating Black, who was sitting on a dark leather accent chair, his left elbow propped up on the table. He had already neatly organized the files into two sides, presumably, the ones he had already analyzed and deconstructed and the ones he hadn’t. White walked over, next to the wooden desk, his fingers resting on the rim. </p><p>        “I found my laptop, so how much of the stack do you want to do?” White asked, eyeing the taller tower of records. Black didn’t look up but did scribble something down in his notebook. </p><p>        “Depends on how much you don't want to do,” Black replied, vaguely turning back to the Cv. he was investigating. White scrunched up his brow. </p><p>        “What if I only want to do one?” White smirked, eyeing the crewmate. Black looked up to meet the jester in the eyes.</p><p>        “Then do one,” Black said, his voice holding a bit of edge. White frowned. Black probably didn't mean that but, White was going to hold him to the word. White turned away, stealing a document from the taller stack. </p><p>        He wandered over to the newly placed bean bag and plopped down. He was probably ruining the bag just by sitting on it. White subconsciously shifted off, with only his back getting to savor the cushioning of the furniture. White flipped open the front page of his selected document and grinned. </p><p>        𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘩𝘮? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦... White was grinning softly, flipping to the first page. It had just registered his primary data, including his background check. White was notably tempted to check it but chose to hold off on it. White flipped the page, which still enlisted his background history. He shortly got annoyed of flipping for a while, and finally started to read the background check. </p><p>        It started pretty logically, listing his date of birth, which was only a few months away. The crew would have to cross it during their time together. White found it pretty cool how the elder was born in Australia, next reading on to discover that Black's home was in the US, nearby his own. White had grown up in Lakeville, Minnesota, while the other had spent his childhood at Billings, Montana. Their homes are less than a thousand miles from each other. </p><p>        White breathed, further reading onto the next page. For the next few hours, they silently read on into their documents, taking notes whenever they could. White inquired a lot about the crewmate, from the brief background check. Black had grown up in a religiously abusive family. He was settled into a foster home at the age of thirteen, after a tragic accident. White averted his eyes away from the file. He knew that sympathizing for the crewmate was no use. </p><p>        He caught a glimpse at Black, who was, concentrated on his allotted Cv. White finally had finished the background check and went on to read through more than 50 pages of the experience report. White got pretty invested in the portfolio that when Black had spun around, he had barely acknowledged him. </p><p>        “I finished my 4th one,” Black announced to the pilot, who looked up, agitated. White was finally getting the essence of the vocabulary used, and now this crewmate had to hinder his progress. </p><p>        “Yeah, that’s great. You want a cookie or something?” White snapped. Black raised an eyebrow, prompting White to retire to his senses. </p><p>        “Sorry- I don't know where that came from,” White emphasized, sitting up. Black watched as White facepalmed but didn’t remove his hand. He was covering himself. Of course, Black’s heart crumbled as he shifted away from the pilot and went back to work. </p><p>        White was flustered beneath his hand, which was a bit sweaty from typing. He wanted to take a break but, he had barely finished one Cv. White gazed back at it. White hadn't noticed it but, his mind had fogged up to the duration where he could only speculate about Black. Not of unpleasant feelings, though. </p><p>        The idea of Black becoming his friend, maybe even a partner back on Earth. White just tried to brush it off as his head, trying to find a replacement for Green. Black did live near his own home, and the timid crewmate seemed to be interested in becoming allies. </p><p>        White couldn't fathom why he was thinking so favorably of the crewmate, despite not knowing him that well. He cleared his head by shaking it subconsciously. White quickly scanned the Cv., setting it down on the ground. </p><p>        𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦? White was flushed, as he considered if this was a trick of his crippled mentality. He pressed his face against his palm, which felt hot. He tapped out of his notes and onto the camera app. His face was looking a bit blotchy, even red. White realized that he had been sweating under his shirt, making the garment a bit damp and even wet in some parts. It baffled him because he did not once remember feeling feverish. </p><p>        His body was cramping up as every second passed. That must have been why it took him so long to recognize it, the bulging boner, sitting in the crotch of his sweats. </p><p>        𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨? White wanted to scream. How could he have gotten a boner off nothing? White didn’t wait for his thing to start dripping and awkwardly shuffled out of the room.<br/>
The crisp air numbed his skin to no end. His body had blazed up, a headache darting up his spine. The joints in his legs were aching from nothing. He couldn’t even bend his knees, or they would have cracked painfully. The muscle content in his biceps felt strained. It was like every part of his body was racked up, to the most painful extent. </p><p>        Even his fucking cock felt cramped like he was about to ejaculate. It was the worst fever in the chronicle of fevers. </p><p>        He felt like someone had been hurling concrete blocks onto his forehead and the back of his head for hours. He had lost all sense of vision because his eyelids were getting really heavy, as tears seeped out of them. With his nose clogged with mucus, he didn't even bother to clear them. It was getting harder to breathe, and White was considering why he had crashed so suddenly. The last time White was diagnosed with a fever was nearly a decade ago. How come it made its comeback so brutally? The only and only thing in his body that was operating was his brain. </p><p>        He was considering making a run for Admin, but it was too late. His left knee had bucked and, he tumbled down onto the floor. He let out a pained wail, cursing at himself. Before anyone could make out his cry for help, he surrendered to his alert to recover.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Remember to take care of yourselves, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Crushes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>White is bed rested but finds ways to still be productive. People make his day better, as he understands what it is to be a crew. </p><p>*Trigger warnings: There is some level of gore in this chapter if you aren't okay with it, please skip the second half.*</p><p>(Also there is a significant amount of profanity used in this chapter.)</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey guys! Welcome back to 🌑 2 moons to my world 🌑<br/>Hope you enjoy this update, and if you haven't noticed the updates are quite irregular because, for me, the online school has started back up!<br/>Hope yall enjoyed ur breaks!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>White had woken up as his dreams faded into reality. His body, enveloped in the warmth of the bed, had lost circulation. Just by the sound of beeping from the Holter monitor, he could tell that he was in Medbay. </p><p>Despite having no recollection of transferring himself there, he could hear someone shuffling around the office. They were roaming around the scan, probably just fixing up something from one of the medical cabinets. </p><p>White didn’t bother to open his eyes, which were sealed dry. He paused when trying to lift his hand, wincing in pain. There was an IV drip attached from his wrist, but it wasn’t injecting into his body. It still hurt like fuck, and never stopped aching, signaling that they were somewhat fresh.  The painful tingling only worsened the longer he left it unattended. </p><p>The electrodes pinching at his chest were irritating but only took away from the aching, from the IV drip. White wanted to wait out the time until the Medbay consultant had left to get up himself. He wasn’t in the mood to be harassed by crewmate’s questions. He heard the other person in the room let out a breathy sigh, coming back, next to his bed stand. </p><p>Immediately, by the sound of their sigh, he could identify them as Pink. Well, of course, it’s Pink. Who else would be in Medbay unless they were doing tasks? </p><p>The thought led a different question into White’s mind, 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘐 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨? </p><p>An abundance of questions flooded through the leader’s mind, and only so many could he answer. White remembered feeling, fervently cramped up in pain before blacking out. Never the less, the memories came back to him at a slow pace. </p><p>𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘷., White trailed his sole thoughts together, coming up with a backstory. White couldn’t even remember his location where he had lost consciousness. White didn’t even remember how he had gotten there in the first place. White kept moving his forearms, yet not comfortable with his positioning. The tape around his IV attachment was pulling at his skin. Plus, just the needle itself was painfully inserted, with comfort not being the first intention in the pracademic's mind. </p><p>White’s sensitive nose picked up on the floral deodorant scent permeating off the crewmate. Pink was fumbling around with the IV chord attached to the pole, unscrewing the plastic saline bag from the stand, and walked off. </p><p>White gulped at the thought of the needle inserting fluids into his arm. Sure it didn’t scare him, but it has been too long since the last time he had to sport an IV. White rolled his eyes back with ease. His eyelids still felt heavy, as if he needed more sleep. </p><p>Pink’s heavy footfall quickly crescendoed as she got close up against his bed. She reached over the half-asleep crewmate, her lab coat grazing him. White resisted the urge to scrunch up his nose. Strangely, it was way harder to pretend to sleep now that he was an adult. </p><p>The paramedic mangled with the IV pole, anchoring up a new saline bag. White subconsciously flexed his forearm, intimidated by the IV drip. In the process, he also moved the needle, penetrating his wrist, and grimaced. Pink ignored the crewmate and grabbed a screw attachment from the counter. </p><p>White sighed, realizing that the crewmate didn’t care whether he was awake or not. White forced his eyes open, blinded by the examination light provoking him. Using his right hand, he carefully rubbed his eyes. Brushing off the eye crust, he opened his sizably light eyes. </p><p>Pink was skillfully working with the IV pole, attaching a new bag filled with some solution. </p><p>“Did ya sleep well?” Pink spoke up, interrupting the long silence. White looked back at her, barely making any eye contact. He subconsciously nodded before speaking up. </p><p>“Yeah, I slept like a fucking rock,” White said as if he was complaining. His morning voice was immensely deeper than standard, but that was how he talked nowadays. Before the incident, his voice was a lot more pitched. Pink smiled, falling back on her heels after leaning over the IV pole. White watched as she shuffled off to her desk. </p><p>“Hm, good, haven’t seen you do that in a while,” Pink hummed, hunched over her desk. White lifted his elbows carefully, to not puncture the IV drips. He stared at the full bag of fluid hanging from the IV stand. He could barely make out the phrase, something in the line of Cipro. Antibiotic.</p><p>White sighed, remembering the severity of his fever. He would be concerned if his fever was only bacterial. How had he let his body suffer that much? </p><p>White blinked back at the examination light. It was agonizing, and White didn't even know why Pink needed it on. Pink suddenly turned around, marching over to him with a tray. As White hopefully wished that what she had with her was a nice meal, he could already tell that they were new replacements for his IV drip. </p><p>Pink set the try down on a medical stand and prepped his arm. White shivered when the crewmate tore the tape. As careful as Pink was being, White winced at every pull. Pink looked up and pursed her lips. </p><p>“If it hurts too much, you can try it yourself,” Pink suggested. White sunk his tensed shoulder at the sincerity of the crewmate. He nodded while Pink left him to himself.</p><p>White felt fed up with himself, despite not having a reason. He wondered which crewmate had to transport him to the compartment. Which crewmate then had to finish up night shift, which crewmates had to start a shift, on their own, which crewmates-</p><p>“White, that looks painful,” Pink's voice rang in his head. White looked down to face his reddened skin, biting his lip. He had been pulling at the thin piece of tape at a rapid pace. Pink wryly made her way over to the pilot, grasping on to his aching hand. </p><p>“Can't I leave you alone to even this?” Pink breathed. White looked away in embarrassment. Pink started peeling the tape off slowly, at an anticipatingly burning state. White wondered how a piece of scotch tape could cause him so much harm.   </p><p>“You know, you are the only person that has access to me at all times of the day,” Pink stated, “Why didn't you call me when you got here?” </p><p>White looked up, confused. </p><p>“I….” White trailed off. Whoever brought him here never called for the Medbay consultant, but it is not like they could. So, they just dropped him off. Pink discarded the piece of tape onto her tray. </p><p>“Are you even listening?” Pink snapped, sweeping White’s attention from his sole thoughts. </p><p>“Why did you mess with my equipment?” Pink repeated her concerns for White to hear. White looked taken back by the crewmate’s accusation. He was resting for all this time, so this could not have been him. The person who brought him here had unusual intentions. Were they panicking?</p><p>“How did I mess with your equipment?” White questioned, intrigued. Pink gave him a distrustful look but answered his question. </p><p>“You undressed in here, changed into one of the hospital gowns. Then, you took a cold compress out of the medical cabinet. Which mind I remind you, no one is allowed to touch other than, me” Pink reported, as White listened bewildered. Someone undressed him was all he got out of her rant, and White was feeling beyond violated. </p><p>“And then, you ate a bunch of ice chips from the freezer over there,” Pink protested, signaling to the fridge in the corner of the room. White’s eyes widened he, certainly didn’t remember doing that. He couldn't help but chuckle at the last part. They probably fed him ice chips in hopes of lowering his temperature.  </p><p>“I think you also drank some Ibuprofen, which is fine, but you could’ve just called me down,” Pink pressed, resting her chin on her hand which, was propped up on the medical stand. White noticed that a number of her fingers were, ornamented with rings. He listened thoughtfully. </p><p>“And you are saying that when you got here, there was no one in the room?” White hesitantly asked. This question, if answered, could boil down his number of suspects. Pink nodded, looking at the IV drip penetrating his right hand. White looked at it as well, feeling drained. Pink pursed her lips, making eye contact with the crewmate. </p><p>“I’m going to remove this IV because you have been wearing it for almost an hour now,” Pink stated. Instinctively, White's forearm twitched. White's eyes lit up since this was the perfect time to ask the paramedic about his time here. </p><p>"How long have I," White trailed off, waiting for her to answer. Pink met his stare, expressionless. She took a deep breath and hummed, adding to White's anticipation. </p><p>"A day," Pink answered quickly, hoping that he was going to react more intuitively with a short answer. White gaped at her, widening his already sizable eyes. </p><p>“I’m sorry, a whole day?” White raised his voice, stating his concern. Of course, White knew that the team could operate without him for a while. But who drove the ship all this time? Pink rolled her eyes, not surprised at White’s reaction. </p><p>“Yes, a whole day. I found you here on Sunday night. It’s Tuesday,” Pink clarified. White spoke up quickly, ready to grill her for information. </p><p>“Who drove the ship while I was knocked out?” White asked. Pink spoke up, excited to answer. </p><p>“I have to tell you all about it!” Pink called out, “So, you know how Weapons is currently, Blue?” White nodded, understandably, not liking the circumstances. Blue was some stuck up Bommer with a degree in being a Beverly Hills basic bitch. White also recollected that Blue was once on the cover of a magazine. Other than that, the man had never done anything for himself, but then again, who was White to judge?</p><p>“Turns out, the only other person on the ship who has ever been a pilot, for any, uh flying thing was Orange,” Pink smirked. White almost thought that the crewmate looked proud. White thought on about why Pink had even mentioned Blue. And the flying thing sounded a bit sketchy to White. </p><p>“So when the asteroid warnings blew off, everyone was panicking,” Pink gasped, hauling out her hands in front of her. White smiled, curious to find out more. </p><p>“So, Blue and Brown ya know, did Weapons and Shields, having no hope of dodging any of them!” Pink held off at specific parts of the speech to hold the suspense. White eagerly listened, swept away by her narration. </p><p>“I mean, I was kinda useless, just sitting in Comms., with Cyan who was just spitting facts through the mic,” Pink said, "Then suddenly, the ship when through this unstable motion, like what happens when you get off Auto-pilot,"</p><p>White met her deep cocoa eyes, which were in contrast with her Icy petal colored hair. He admired the shade of her hair, being a fan of light hair colors. White had dyed his hair into a platinum lily shade, and it had been this way for years. Getting dye jobs in salons were expensive, and White had to get them done pretty often. So he just dyed his hair in his home, and it usually came out fine. White listened on to Pink, chewing on the inside of his cheek. </p><p>"Someone needed to keep the ship calm, so she was just yelling a bunch of inspirational shit from Pinterest into the mic," Pink snickered. White smiled, amused by her narration. </p><p>"Back to what I was saying, the ship stared flying like really unstably, I was terrified!" Pink exclaimed, "I thought that we had gotten hit in one of the engines and were going to plummet to god knows where,"</p><p>"But, we never did, because the ship started to gain altitude, right after," Pink nodded, "I heard Brown from the left gasp, and I was for sure that we were going to die,"</p><p>"Since I had nothing better to do than just help him accept death, I walked over to shields, where he was just gazing out the window," Pink paused again to build up momentum, as White was starting to get bored of the backlog. </p><p>"So, I look out the window and see that the asteroids were moving out the way for us, like the red sea or some shit," Pink assured, " I thought that I was going crazy, until I considered, instead of the asteroids moving out for us, we were the ones dogging?"</p><p>White was about to facepalm and call Pink out for her shitty narration. </p><p>"So I leave Brown to his misery, and run up to Nav., real fast, and who do I see sitting in the pit thingy?" Pink asked. White answered before she could. </p><p>"Orange, you saw Orange, who climbed out the pit with her fucking mane blowing in the wind like she was god damn Mufasa, and everyone bowed to her," Wite finished, closing his eyes. Enough of this protagonist bullcrap. </p><p>“Exactly, Orange said that she had never even been a Skeld pilot, and this was her first time” Pink giggled, “She only knew what to do because she had driven in the air force,”</p><p> White’s heart faltered as he put the two-and-two together. He had never set up a co-pilot for the ship, after Green's demise. Orange wasn’t his co-pilot, so that means his co-pilot was Green…</p><p>All of a sudden, tears sprung to his eyes. Why was he such a fucking-</p><p>“White?” Pink interrupted his thoughts, watching as a single tear streamed down his face. White used the back of his palm to wipe his eyes. Pink watched with a pitied expression as White looked up, trying to blink back the tears. White lowered his hand, which was throbbing from being elevated, with the IV drip still implanted in there. Pink grabbed the pilot’s hand from him and gently grew the pipe from his wrist. </p><p>Tears burned in his eyes, falling quickly. White didn’t know what hurt more, the large needle which was in the process of being extracted from his hand or his self-loathing. Pink shushed him softly, almost like she was permitting him to sob. At least, that was how White perceived it. </p><p>He trembled, shut his eyes with too much force. He was starting to see white through his shaded lids. Pink yanked the remains of the needle from White’s wrist as crimson blood seeped out of the wound. Pink closed it off quickly with a cotton swab. White let out a deep moan, biting his lips. </p><p>Pink looked up at the sound, as White avoided her gaze. He didn’t mean to make such a lewd noise. White cursed himself in his head for making this situation a lot more awkward than it had to be. Pink also looked away, trying to focus on cleaning up the wound. White took a shaky breath, making the waterworks come to a halt. </p><p>In silence, Pink patched out the wound. She looked back up to met White. White looked away subconsciously before looking back at her apologetically. </p><p>“I have to insert another IV drip, just be patient,” Pink paused, “You need to rest, at least for the remaining of the day.” White bucked his knee at the order. </p><p>“Wait, is Orange flying today, too?” he asked, “I mean, this is her first time. Has she even charted the course for Auto-pilot?” </p><p>Pink didn’t bother to look up, snatching the vein locator from her tray. White sulked. Why was she ignoring him? </p><p>Restless, he doubted that Orange even knew what Chart Course even was. She probably just left the ship on autopilot, without charting the course. Or worse, what if Orange hasn’t even moved from the cockpit, ever since she sat down in it?</p><p>White bit his lip, frustrated. He flexed his arm, knowing that Pink was going to become annoyed by it. His theory was right, but she just squeezed his forearm, making it loosen. White winced, not even concerned by his muscle fatigue. He stopped trying to get Pink's attention and stared at the abundance of bandages scattered across his frame. Pink stopped moving the vein locator and jabbed her thumb at his forearm tendon. </p><p>She grabbed the disinfectant wipe and cleaned it thoroughly. White had bitten his bottom lip as if he was back in grade school. Then, like every other kid, he had trypanophobia. Trypanophobia is the phobia of needles, and he first learned of the word when trying to diagnose himself at a young age. </p><p>Pink turned away from him and picked up the needle, which was prepped with its attachments and, ready to go. She was only making sure that it did not have a chance of leaking. White squinted at the little object. How lethal it was. </p><p>Pink steadily maintained eye contact with White. She gently wrapped her hand around his forearm and relocated the vein, inserting the needle into his arm at a slow pace. White hummed, surprised at the lack of pain. But the deeper the needle penetrated his arm, making contact with the vein, the more the agony rang in the pilot’s ears. Soon, the five centimeters of the needle had disappeared into the depths of White’s flesh. </p><p>Pink wet her lips, assuring White of the progress of the IV drip. She waited until blood started to fill into the chamber of the syringe. The paramedic lifted her other slender hand to reveal a catheter, which she pushed onto the syringe. White squeezed his eyes shut as his heart thumped loudly. The Holter monitor beeped loudly on his chest, distracting the paramedic, who was trying to focus. Why hadn’t she taken it off yet? </p><p>Pink also placed a gauze pad under the catheter to soak in the excess blood. White watched, fascinated by the works of the paramedic. Pink worked with the saline lock, ensuring it in place with the catheter. She attached a larger syringe to the saline lock connected to the saline bag, dangling from the IV stand. Finally, Pink huffed, indicating that she finished replacing the old IV drip. White stopped holding his breath, and Pink grabbed more scotch tape to secure the seal. </p><p>White huffed, watching Pink secure the tube to its place. He wondered if the IV drip had to insert all that antibiotic saline into his body. That sounds exhausting, to sit through that.</p><p>He didn’t even feel that tired. Pink grinned at White, considerate of his cooperation, and walked off to a distance, to her desk. She punched a couple of tabs into her monitor, and White watched as the fluid from the bag drew closer to his arm. </p><p>He looked away, watching the crewmate return to his other side. </p><p>“Good news, you only need to take one more bag so I can take off this one,” She beamed, sitting down on the other stool. White only remembered assigning one stool per bed, so why were there two by his bed? Was there someone else here before? He sucked in the artificial air, floating around Medbay. She closely worked on removing the IV drip attached to his other arm as he focused on his mission. </p><p>If Orange was steering the ship for the past few hours and never set the ship on auto-pilot, who was managing Electrical? </p><p>Everyone else on the left had pretty individualized tasks that required more than 9 to 5 hours of work. White sighed, feeling too guilty. Why wasn't it one of his priorities to set up new roles and roommates?</p><p>The former co-pilot was Green, who had passed away. After mourning and slacking, White wasn’t able to assign the new roles in time, before his crash. Now he had to make it work with only ten people to operate this ship, to their destination hundreds of light-years away. </p><p>Already contemplating the new roles, White sucked in a shaky breath. He already had a pretty definitive list in mind, but the experience count was also important. He needed to look over the Cv. to assign the new tasks. </p><p>𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘝.? White wondered. 𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮? </p><p>White brushed the thought off his mind. Having too much faith in others was something White tried to avoid. If there was one thing his life on earth taught him, it was subsequently, the best way to prevent tragedy was to do it on your own.</p><p>Pink had already finished patching up the area where the IV had punctured. White heard her swallow, almost like she has something to say. White looked up to met her eye. </p><p>Pink's hands were on her lap, with her fingers entwined. White took note of her facial expression. Her lids hung low, and she had this look that people have when they regret things after a fight. White looked down, not wanting to intervene with her emotions. </p><p>He was probably going to piss her off, and there was no point in trying to console her. He probed his tongue in the socket inside his cheek. The taste of his saliva was dense in his mouth, and the urge to brush his teeth had never been this strong. Meanwhile, Pink just sat there, letting the awkward silence thicken. Finally, she spoke up. </p><p>"Do you," Pink started, taking a deep breath, "Nevermind,"</p><p>White stared at Pink, who was getting out of her seat. </p><p>"Did you have something to tell me?" White asked. Pink briefly paused, rethinking her decisions. </p><p>"Yeah, I don't think I'm the only one," Pink answered, spinning around. White sat up, knowing that Pink was going to take up the opportunity. She was always one of the first to express their opinion about the circumstances. She took her seat, again making a face before starting. </p><p>"White, how do you feel about your crew?" Pink questioned. White's eyes lit up. He knew exactly where this was going. </p><p>"Phenomenal, absolutely magnificent!" White began, "So productive, could not have asked for better" </p><p>"Fucking 105, White a hundred and fucking five," Pink shouted, cutting off White, "Your temperature was fucking a hundred and five, when I found you, just lying here, fucking passed out,"</p><p>"You were on the verge of death, curled up in the fetal position, the fuck?" Pink bellowed, "I thought you died," Pink's bottom lip trembled as she tried to keep cool. Her eyes were now glossy, tears threatening to spill. </p><p>"I- fuck" Pink gritted her teeth, blinking back tears. White hesitantly moved toward her with his arms open. He was almost ninety-nine percent sure that she was going to tell him to fuck off. But she never did, giving into the one-sided hug. </p><p>White pushed himself to the edge of the bed, ignoring the IV, which was painfully dangling from his forearm. She leaned over to him, dropping herself into his arms. White used his other hand and rubbed her back. She buried her face onto the crook of his neck, sniffling. White held her sturdily, even if he was the one who was physically hurt. </p><p>"I hate you," Pink mumbled, "So fucking much,"</p><p>White laughed, coughing on to her shoulder. Pink stiffened, taken back by the blow on her neck. Of course, that was when she yanked back, glaring at White, who was laughing. </p><p>"Fucking idiot," Pink grumbled, taking a whiff of her shoulder, gagging. She wiped her eyes and ran her fingers down her hair. White calmed down, smiling at Pink. Pink met his eye, becoming serious again.  </p><p>"You are not of the hook yet, so don't get out of that fucking bed," Pink threatened, wagging her pointer finger at him. White rolled his eyes dramatically. Pink jabbed him on the forehead, making him squirm away. </p><p>"Don't roll your eyes, I'm still mad at your fat ass," Pink grumbled. White, this time, just looked her in the eye, tired of being scolded. He just wanted to go back to bed, like he was never awake in the first place. </p><p>"I'll just give you my side of, what is happening, take it or leave it," Pink said, throwing her hands up. White nodded, just wanting to get this over. Pink sighed, sitting up straight.</p><p>"So," She began, "The team has been worried about you recently,"<br/>
She started, almost hesitantly. White had heard this speech about a hundred times, from his old crews. Whether he was the leader or a crewmate, he always put forward a hundred percent of his effort into his trips. So, White has been doing this for six years and, this was the first time he had fallen sick because of it. Green's death will never be an indication for him to stop. Chris wanted to get out of here, not alive but better. </p><p>"You practically work for the whole day, without any breaks," Pink stated, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, "At first, most of us were happy to see you working so hard, giving us time to replenish and just shit ourselves,"</p><p>"Some of us were too appreciative of you," Pink paused, "For being a decent fucking leader, who did tasks around the ship," </p><p>White looked down, not able to take her compliment seriously. </p><p>"But, after Lime's death, you became a fucking," Pink stalled, "Task machine or something, you stopped letting us going on the night shifts, wasn't it?" </p><p>Pink's tone was like she was scoffing. </p><p>"Then you started to fucking neglect your team, keeping us on a strict curfew, not even letting us exit our dorms after what, 10?" Pink asked. White hung his head, not listening to her. He had a system and, it worked.</p><p>"You know what, keeping you in your dorms work, because by now we would've lost at least half of the team," White rolled his eyes abruptly. Pink stopped talking, scoffing again. </p><p>"Yeah, and in a fucking week, we'll lose you," Pink chided, "So bye-bye to our knight in shining armor," </p><p>White scoffed at that reference because he was here to fucking stay. Pink bored her eyes onto White's temple. They sat there in uncomfortable silence for too long.</p><p>"Let me guess, the next thing that you will demand us to do is pick a buddy and force us to stick together," Pink stopped, "Or even better, you pick them for us," </p><p>"Shut the fuck up. You know damn well that this has been working," White gritted his teeth. Pink pursed her lips.</p><p>"If it wasn't for this, we would've lost at least half the team." White calmed down, explaining to the crewmate. Subsequently, in a few weeks, they were reaching Polus. That means that they were halfway through with the trip. </p><p>She had also calmed down, trying to make the situation more intuitively, "Forget it, I have to go back before the others get here,"</p><p>White watched her get up from her seat and walk back to her desk. He got lost in thought for a second about why he got so defensive with her. Maybe he wasn't even being difficult and just overthinking now. </p><p>Pink threw her blue disposable latex gloves into the trash, hanging her white lab coat on the hook on the wall. White looked away before Pink got the wrong idea that he wanted to converse more about the topic. It was not that White didn't care for his health. He didn't think that was his biggest priority, now that he was leading a ship. White looked at his forearm, where the IV hung. It had been aching for too long and, White just needed it to soothe down. </p><p>He turned at the sound of Pink's heavy work boots, ricocheting away from him. He watched her back as she made her way out. Maybe he should take a little rest and make sure that his next fever wouldn't cause him to crash like this. </p><p>_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</p><p>White stared at the ceiling, mesmerized by the light reflecting off the window. It was almost 5 in the evening, and he had been on bed rest for the whole day. Pink had come in later that day to drop off lunch, which contained a mediocre piece of garlic and herb-roasted salmon, tofu and chicken soup, and raisins with dried fruits. White also got to enjoy decaffeinated tea, which he had never tried before. Maybe he had tried the decafinated tea before, in his middle school, but it tasted pretty fresh. </p><p>She had also allowed him to roam around Medbay, but only around Medbay. He wasn’t even able to go back to his room. Luckily the Medbay door was wide open for him to sneak peeks. White was feeling the best he was feeling in weeks. Quarantined in Medbay, he had some time to give thought to the future of the mission. </p><p>When Blue had come in earlier in the afternoon to drop off his laptop, White was speechless. The eldest expressed such innate hate toward White that any other behavior coming of the crewmate directed for him seemed too off. White had used up his time there to assign tasks for the crew. As usual, reassigning tasks were troublesome because some of the crewmates were only so experienced.</p><p>For some odd reason, the motion sensor lights never noticed him, so the room was peacefully dark. White was still anxious for his comeback. He couldn't just pretend that nothing was wrong. If he used Green’s death as an excuse, the team would pity him, right? </p><p>𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦, 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘱, White thought. They probably could guess that this was why White had been struggling recently, but restating might help. White shook his head, forcing the idea of self-loathing of his mind.</p><p>The people he was trying to open up to was his crew. Not his dad, who had only seen the heir in him. Not everyone else other than Chris, who had only ever cared about his clout or wealth. Not some random gold-digger who only saw him as the pristine son of a bitch. </p><p>They were decent people who have problems in their lives. Most of them don't even know of his role back on Earth. People who care about those around them and know better than to let those hurt, hurt themselves. And even if they didn’t care about him, White cared about them. Because in the end, they are a team. Whether they make it out of this mission or not is dependent on their ability to work together efficiently. Not on White’s ability to do tasks. </p><p>Deep inside, everyone knows this shit. Merely covered with invalidating thoughts, that is what's worth looking back. </p><p>White found himself aimlessly smiling at the ceiling. It felt good to be back in his right mind. He looked over next to him, taking the sealed cup of applesauce and a pack of roasted edamame seeds into account. Brown had come down around snack time and dropped off some of White’s favorite snacks. At least the ones the crewmate had known off. Sadly, with their underfunded crew, the crewmates found it hard to make time to visit their depleted leader. </p><p>White propped himself up onto his hands, grateful for the crew. He grabbed the small plastic cup and pulled off the lid. He took a sip of the substance, balancing out the flavors by trying a handful of edamame seeds. Thankfully, the ship was being steadily stern with auto-pilot after White had acknowledged Orange. </p><p>The crewmate had seemed to be anticipating his reaction. White was amused, with her fidgeting around, trying to explain to him what had happened. White let her struggle for a bit before breaking it to her. He was quite appreciative of her service and even added extra points to her Cv. Points determine the amount of money you make while servicing on trips and unlock passes for the trips. Leaders were only allowed to add a certain amount, as all the points given to a crew had to be divided, somewhat, equally. </p><p>Despite being bed rested for the whole day, he had a feeling that this was his most productive day out of the last month. Tonight, he had to attend dinner with the rest of the crew to announce the new roles. Also, he spent quite a while requesting Mira for a day off. HQ had the power to operate the tasks from their base but never bothered to. White had an idea of why but tried not to question things. The more you seek, the more you realize you don't know. </p><p>White took another sip from the cup of applesauce. His body was feeling pretty stiff. He had to work out today at least get through a bit of his daily exercise. White glanced at his watch, which read 4:10. He had a long way to go. White picked up the bag of edamame seeds and flushed them all into his mouth.</p><p>White picked up the laptop, which was sitting near his foot. He was currently assigning roles, as he wanted to make the break day productive. White wanted to relocate people after apprehending their potentials and preferences. So, he was attempting to make it work. </p><p>He glanced back at the document. Brown is just a minor, and he already expressed his concerns as a part of the “Big 3”, Weapons, Nav. and Shields. White had chosen that position for the crewmate before, but now he was regretting it. He instead moved Brown to the left, where he and his friends could still interact so Brown wouldn't get overwhelmed. </p><p>White kept Blue’s role as the Weapons consultant the same, as the eldest liked his role. Blue enjoyed being vectorized for his position and being closer to his girlfriend. White wanted to change Orange to Shields, but she was inexperienced with the compartment. And this worried White as he needed his co-pilot near at all times. It was just safer that way, especially since he never saw her in action. </p><p>What brought him more fear was that now the Impostors are aware of Orange’s potential as the co-pilot. They would surely target the minor, so he needed to keep her close. </p><p>Also, Purple had kept her role as the Reactor consultant. Yes, Reactor by far is one of the most stressful jobs on par with the “Big 3,” if not worse, but White saw potential in her. Purple was vigilant and could manage well under pressure. White also kept Yellow as the upper engine consultant since he was happy there. As much potential Yellow had, as one of the more experienced crewmates, and the best leadership qualities, White couldn’t find a more efficient role for him.</p><p>Pink was still Medbay, of course, and worked in the admin office. White didn’t want to place her too far from her allotted compartment. With Admin being one of the more facile roles, Pink would be able to handle it. She would have to set up Uploads and Downloads, and at all times, she will accompany the Electrical consultant. It was the safest role, according to the pilot. </p><p>As mentioned, Pink will accompany the Electrical consultant, and White thought that Black was a reliable candidate for the role. White thought that he was perfect for the compartment, with Black being one of the most productive seniors. Before White had failed to see his potential, as the timid crewmate had preferred to avoid him, White even thought that the crewmate had held a grudge against him. </p><p>Red was also remaining in the same compartment as Storage and Disposal. The crewmate was well-built and could handle the gruesome process of disposing of the dead. White had considered swapping Yellow and Red, as Yellow was also physically well-built but kept them. Red had made a few friends but was still quite anti-social. So, White didn't want to overpressure Red by putting him on the left side, so surrounding Red with others like him was deemed fit. </p><p>White’s lips formed into a small smile at the thought of Black. The crewmate intrigued him, and White was committed to befriending the crewmate. It was like a little challenge to win over the crewmate. Plus, Black was the only person who White trusted with his Medbay consultant. </p><p>And now, finally Cyan. She was one of the eldest and, just more experienced than the average crewmate. So White wanted to move her to the left side. How could the left side operate without at least one senior? White sighed, rethinking his decisions. </p><p>𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘖𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘣𝘦?</p><p>𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘚𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯? </p><p>White covered his face with his hands, which felt soft as if he had just woken up. White heard a hushed footfall, coming toward the area. It was probably just a crewmate just making their way to their dorm. </p><p>Dorm partners. White facepalmed, remembering that he also needed to revise the roommates. </p><p>He let his hand fall as the crewmate swung into Medbay. White immediately recognized Black, who was in his inner-task suit. His fluffy black hair was looking messier than usual, or the last time White recalled speaking to him. It was hard to spot the crewmate, with the dimmed lighting and Black's garments. This time, Black began the conversation before White could speak up. </p><p>“So, you have awakened,” Black said, walking into the room. White was a bit taken back by the crewmate’s informality. The last time he had been around Black, the crewmate was modestly shy and wanted nothing to do with him.</p><p>“Yeah, you say it like it, was delayed,” White smirked, playing along. What was he doing, flirting? White didn't mean to make it sound so suggestive. </p><p>Black sat down on a stool beside his bed and pushed it back a bit. White finally noticed the spiral notebook from that night, the one that Black had bought with him. White was confident that it was Black who had brought him here. Without making things awkward, he just wanted to know why Black had changed his clothes and messed around with the equipment. </p><p>“Mhm, you could say it like that,” Black placed the notebook on the side of the bed for White to retrieve. White picked it up, skimming through it. His eyes lit up in relativity because Black had already finished picking apart the whole Cv. That notebook was going to make everything so much easier. White didn’t think about it twice and leaned over to embrace the crewmate quickly. </p><p>Now, with what had happened in Nav., when they first met, and now, Black was probably speculating White’s sexuality. White felt Black stiffen rigidly before yanking him off. It was the second time today when somebody didn't want a hug from him. White laughed as Black looked away, spinning the chair with him. </p><p>“Fuck, knew you were going to do that,” White snickered, eyeing the crewmate. Black didn’t seem too flustered, but that was probably because the lights were out here. Black’s eyes broadened into his own, like the first day they had met. White, this time looked away, intimidated by the crewmate. </p><p>“I finished reading through the Cv.,” Black informed him. </p><p>“ I know, want another hug?” White asked, teasing the crewmate. Black just shook his head, too fed up with the pilot. </p><p>“By the way," White began, "Thanks for bringing me here when I passed out,” Black gave him a questioning look. </p><p>“Wasn’t me, I wasn’t even in Storage,” Black replied, making White laugh. White didn’t even remember the place he had passed out. What were the chances that Black did if he wasn’t that helpful crewmate who carried him here? </p><p>“Sure you weren’t,” White laughed it off.  </p><p>“Why would you think that it was me?” Black asked, propping his elbow on to the medical table. White watched him, confused. Why was he not getting the hint?</p><p>“You were the closest person to me when I fainted, and you know the location,” White reasoned. </p><p>“The only reason I know that you had fainted there was that according to your “fainting timing,” you passed out around the same time you left the compartment, and you exited to the left.” Black explained, closing in his hand, “I never left Comms. till midnight.” </p><p>White took a little to process the information. Then, who had brought him here? Crewmates shouldn't even be outside the dorms after 10 or 11, without White's consent. Black glanced at the empty bag of Edamame seeds and a half cup of applesauce, silently judging him. </p><p>“What happened after you fainted?” Black asked, looking back up. White snapped out of his haze. </p><p>“I don’t remember,” White abruptly answered, not wanting to reveal too much information. Black tilted his head onto his right hand, looking at the food. White watched the crewmate, trying to study his body language. Was Black not the crewmate, who had brought him here?</p><p>“What are you doing now?” Black asked, looking out the large glass panel, ignoring White. White looked down, familiar with this daunting atmosphere. </p><p>“Work, I’m assigning new roles and roommates,” White nodded, catching Black’s eye. Black loved prying his way into other's business, so White knew that he would be interested. The crewmate leaned off his hand to face White properly. </p><p>“Can I see?” Black asked, leaning forward for once. White offered a lazy smirk. </p><p>“Why?” White asked. </p><p>“I don’t know, are you finished yet?” Black asked, glancing at White’s laptop.</p><p>“No, but I will be by curfew,” White answered, sliding the laptop off the medical desk. Black briefly watched him open it. White gaped at the time. </p><p>“It’s been an hour already!” White exclaimed, glaring at Black like it was his fault. Black rolled his eyes, unbothered by the crewmate’s procrastination. White looked away, feeling judged. So much for being a good leader. </p><p>“So, are you gonna sit there or get to work?” Black asked, leaning over. White exasperatedly sighed. </p><p>“Well, yeah,” White said, punching in his code. Black watched, surprised that the crewmate wasn’t making a big deal of his presence. White scrunched up his eyebrow, opening up the document, as Black scrutinized the bulging gauze pad wrapped around White’s wrist. It looked like a tiny cast for his wrist. Black found it threatening. </p><p>White ignored Black’s glaring as the page loaded. The painful pulsation permeating of the wound, plus Black’s presence was driving White insane. White exhaled, turning to Black. </p><p>“Can you,” White began, “stop staring?” </p><p>Black looked up, relieved that White didn’t ask him to leave. Black averted his eyes away and watched White work. Thoughts raced into White’s mind as he tried to focus. His arms were aching from the wounds, barely holding up. White pondered about how the lacerations were still so sensitive, striving to focus in the dark. </p><p>Black sensed his discomfort. He was tempted to offer his service but refrained. Why did he have to be bashful at a time like this?</p><p>White gave a pleading glance at Black, that was asking for too many things. Two of those being to leave, yet help him type. Black remained quiet, still maintaining eye contact. White wet his lip, ready to ask Black for help. </p><p>“Can you get ice from the freezer?” asked White quietly. Black nodded, getting up from his stool. Black walked up to the freezer and drew the door open. Being hit with the burst of frigid air, Black attempted to locate the ice packs. </p><p>Black was taking a long time, and White was getting a bit distressed. Why did the IV drip have to make the puncture in his arm so big? </p><p>White swung his legs over the bed and got up. White changed earlier that day but was still required to dress in the proper patient garment. White found it extra, but here he was wearing an oversized pair of cotton Pajamas. When his feet made contact with the freezing floor of the compartment, White hissed. Black turned over to White, getting off the bed. </p><p>White hobbled over alongside Black and crouched down. Black stepped back to watch White grab out an ice pack from the crisper drawer, where Black had never checked. White got back on his feet and made his way over to the medical cabinet. The pilot grabbed out a cloth case for the ice pack and slid the ice pack in. </p><p>Finally, White sighed and walked ahead of Black, signaling him to follow. Black this time, sat on the opposite seat on the closer side of the bed. White had already settled back on to the bed and a cross-legged position. White folded the laptop back and handed it to Black. </p><p>“I know it's a lot to ask for, but can you type for me?” White asked, picking up the ice pack. Black just retrieved the Ipad, relived when White asked him. Black glanced at the word document and scrolled into the chart. He understood some of the matchmakings between the compartments and crewmates, but some made him unsure. White looked on with him, noticing Black’s reaction to his chart. </p><p>"See something you don’t like?” White questioned, doubting his work.</p><p>“Not really who is Shields?” Black asked, trying to create progress. </p><p>“I’m not sure yet we are kinda underfunded right now,” White answered, checking over his work. Black looked on with him disputing O2. Black observed White's work, realizing that the pilot was overthinking things. He needed a way to make White make the decisions faster and spend less time procrastinating. </p><p>"I've thought of something. Want to try it?" Black asked, staring at White. White nodded, willing to consider any suggestion now. </p><p>“I will say a compartment and, you say the color of the first crewmate who comes to mind,” Black proposed, deleting the names in the crewmate's column. White sighed at the thought of the silly idea, but he was willing to try anything at this point. </p><p>“Don't think much of it, and don’t worry about repeating names,” Black warned, starting with the first one. White listened and nodded, looking away from the device.</p><p>“Weapons,” Black said. </p><p>“Blue,” White answered, not fazed by the first one. It was a no-brainer since he had rethought this one several times. </p><p>“O2,” Black replied with the next compartment, interested in the pilot's response. </p><p>“Cyan,” White replied, following Black's instructions. He had never given any thought to the compartment, even with how essential it was. Well, not that he hadn’t thought about it but, it was harder to assign.  Black quickly punched in the crewmate's name and moved onto the next one.</p><p>“Navigation,” Black said. </p><p>“Me,” White replied, almost interrupting the other. Well, there was no questioning. As much as he was trying to have faith in his members, White wasn’t stupid. </p><p>“Shields,” Black demanded, having finished editing the document. White answer, unsure. </p><p>“Orange…?” White replied, baffled by this compartment. White sighed, throwing back his head. Black ignored his silent protesting to change that one and wrote her name. </p><p>“Comms.,” Black asked. </p><p>“Cyan,” White repeated, feeling sufficed by this one. Among one of the compartments that White was confident about, since, Cyan told him that she likes being in Comms. Also, Cyan was quite reliable when it came to Comms. </p><p>“Storage,” Black interrupted his trail of thoughts. </p><p>“Red,” White responded. White had even approached Red about doing the heavy work in the crew. But every time, he had sent White out with the same answer. </p><p>“Admin,” Black looked up, making eye contact with White, who broke it off for only a second. </p><p>“Pink,” White answered, always trying to be more cautious when bringing the paramedic up in conversations.</p><p>“Electrical,” Black glanced back down, filling out the chart. White glanced at Black. </p><p>“You,” White hesitantly spoke. Crewmates hated to be assigned that particular compartment unless they were an Imposter. Plus, the last kill was situated there, so White didn't expect Black to take the news lightly. But expectedly, Black didn’t make a face and just wrote down his respective color. </p><p>“Lower engine,” Black asked. </p><p>“Brown,” White answered, not too rushed because he had already mapped out the entirety of the left side. </p><p>“Reactor,” Black said. </p><p>“Purple,” White nodded, glancing over his Ipad. Black was just typing out his most recent answer. White shifted his position to a side lean to be able to observe Black's work. His arm was starting to feel a lot better, with the help of the ice pack. </p><p>“Upper engine,” Black asked, staring at the pilot, getting familiarized with White. </p><p>“Yellow,” White beamed, pleased that they were at the end of the list. Black scrolled back to the top and used the lower cover to suspend the screen on top of the bed. White sat up, staring at the screen.</p><p>“I think Weapons are alright,” Black began, scrolling down to cover the approved compartment. </p><p>“Cyan has two compartments assigned to her right now that ain’t right,” White frowned, clicking to edit O2. Black took a hot second to think of a solution. </p><p>“Cyan is a senior, and her experience count is measurable,” Black grabbed the black notebook lying on the foot of the bed. White watched as Black flipped to the right pages. Technically, Black was doing the work, and White was approving of it. Black glanced around the page and closed the book. </p><p>“If you want, we can swap O2 Cyan for Shields Orange,” Black suggested, looking back at the screen. The pilot was surprised at first, but he considered it. They were at a count of crewmates, where some people had to have to work with more than one compartment. If Cyan had Shields, as one of her specialties, so be it. Shields was similar to Weapons and Navigation in many ways. One of them is being a part-time compartment. They didn’t require much guidance, but when they did, it was a lot. </p><p>Comms. was strangely the more difficult compartment to manage out of the two. It was kind of like the headquarters of the ship. It was the place most information got spread out and, it required dedication. Without a consultant for Comms., there would be no communication throughout the ship. </p><p>“Mhm,” White agreed, still guilty about entrusting the senior with two whole compartments.</p><p>“I think Comms. should remain here because she can handle it,” Black stated the obvious, to get it out of questioning. </p><p>“I like where Admin and Storage are right now,” White approved as Black scrolled down. White looked at Black for his consent with Electrical. </p><p>“I’ll take it,” Black replied, scrolling. White thought about being cheesy with his appreciation but held off on it. </p><p>“I think the rest of the ship is pretty, well distributed. What do you think?” Back asked, glancing at White. White thought about not going against Black’s evaluation but decided to ask anyway. If the person sitting beside him were to be anyone else but Black, White wouldn’t have even permitted access to the document. But, Black was more familiarized with the Cv., than he was. Or because White was pretty reliant on the crewmate. </p><p>“I know age doesn't defy people and shit but, don’t we need a senior on the left side?” White asked. Black raised an eyebrow. </p><p> “You know, I just love how you tell everyone to watch their profanity, but whenever we’re alone, you just foul mouth anything we are talking about,” Black rolled his eyes, ignoring White’s question.  </p><p>“Yeah, but we are alone. Whenever I tell anyone to shut the fuck up, it’s when we are in a meeting,” White corrected, “Plus, if you didn’t like that, you wouldn’t have tried to help me out,” White grinned, turning his attention to Black.</p><p>“I only tried to help you out because-” Black began but paused. Black seemed to be disturbed by his tone, left speechless by the pilot. White chuckled, staring at Black. White had always known that he was bisexual, but it has been a while since he found himself thinking about a man. White just craved close human interaction now. </p><p>“Nevermind,” Black sighed, scrolling past the list onto a new one, “Are we done here?” </p><p>“Mhm, if you don’t want to help me, look over the roommate's document,” White nodded, grabbing the laptop. Black kept sitting there, waiting for White to pull up the new document.</p><p>“But of course you do,” White grinned, not making eye contact with the crewmate. </p><p>Black leaned back on the stool, ignoring White. His back was starting to get tired, but Black didn’t pay too much attention to that. White mockingly sulked, putting the laptop back down. Black stared at the new document. </p><p>White didn't enjoy harassing the crewmate because he was coming off too strong. Black didn't seem to be the type to like that. </p><p>“I think we should get this one out of the way,” White nodded, dragging Blue up to Cyan. Black nodded, speculating the rest of the chart. </p><p>“Is there anyone you have in mind?” asked Black, staring at White’s name. Because of several reasons, White was thinking of Black but didn’t suggest him yet. White was about to drag Yellow’s name, as the crewmate was quite versatile, but Black spoke up. </p><p>“Well, if our guess is right, we should be trying to separate these three,” Black hovered his index finger over Yellow, Red, and Brown. White nodded, appreciative of Black, still focusing on the first case with him. </p><p>“You and I can take one. So, we can pair leftover one with one of the girls,” White stated the obvious. Black nodded, deciding on one of the three. </p><p>“I’ll take Red this time,” White grinned. Red was more one the distanced side, and stereotypically should be a neater roommate. The other two were also more suspicious, with them having been with Lime, as the three musketeers. The three musketeers because of how generic they all seemed. Red was just there for the ride. </p><p>“I’ll take Brown,” Black nodded. White offered a small smile, remembering the moment when he had walked in on the minor, practically on Black. White tried to think not much of it and filled out the document.</p><p>“So, that leaves, Yellow with Pink, Purple, or Orange,” Black glanced at the chart. White was getting bored of assigning shit to crewmates. White lit up, ready to suggest a better idea. </p><p>“How about we play a game, hm?” White asked, zooming in on the four members. Black nodded, sitting up. </p><p>“So, we choose a crewmate to pair, and at the count of three, name another crewmate to go with them,” White said. Black nodded again in confirmation, staring at the pilot. </p><p>“Let's do Yellow,” White began, “3…., 2…., 1, Orange,” </p><p>“Pink,” Black called out. White tilted his head, ready to listen to Black’s reasoning. Black looked baffled for a second, taken back by the fact that they had different answers. </p><p>“So, who do we pick?” Black asked. White snapped out of his trance, looking at the chart. White dragged Pink’s designated block onto Orange’s and paused. </p><p>“So who should go with Yellow?” White sulked, looking at the time. Barely anytime had passed, as it was only half after five. White was a little confused with how fast that session ended.</p><p>“I don’t know,” Black admitted, also staring at the time. A moment of silence passed between them. White shifted his position into a cross-legged one and stared at the screen. The bed's creaking ceased into silence. </p><p>"What do you think?" White asked, maintaining eye contact with the screen. The glare of light permeating the screen hypnotized White into blinding himself before blinking back tears. </p><p>"We have one culprit and one person to protect," Black began, "So we can't put them together," </p><p>White hummed in agreement, taking back his speculation. But, what Black didn't know was that there were two people that they had to protect. White didn't want to reveal the paramedic's role to Black. Same time, putting someone with the co-pilot signaled the crew that the person was. White, confuzzled by the circumstances, trusted Black's intuition.</p><p>"What about Pink and Yellow and, we can pair Orange with Purple?"  Black suggested. He had leaned forward on his chair, shifting his stance every few minutes. White wondered if the crewmate was uncomfortable with him. </p><p>White looked back at the chart and matched Pink with Yellow. He wanted Black to get out so that he could revise their work. They both sat there, content with their work. Glancing at his watch, Black nodded, standing up. White watched, picking up the laptop. </p><p>“My job here is done. See you after curfew,” Black reminded the crewmate, walking away from the bed. White looked away from Black when noticing the notebook that was still lying there.</p><p>He left his notebook, White picked it up, inspecting its cover. At least, he could now proofread. White placed the book down next to him and glanced at the half cup of applesauce. It looked like a burden for some reason, and White was considering throwing it away. </p><p>He leaned on the corner of the bed and swiped up the gallon jug, which. White twisted the cap off and drank a lot of the liquid, almost leaving none left. White gulped it all down, still hungry. He used his hand to push the cup into the trash.</p><p>White glanced at the laptop, wondering if he needed to change anything. He tapped on the screen to turn it back on and stared at the info. For some weird reason, White couldn’t bring himself to change anything.</p><p>Suddenly, White remembered about the roommate's chart. He stared at Yellow and Pink, not wanting to risk Pink’s life. He clicked out of Pink, Yellow, Purple, and Orange. Trying to sort out these four was not getting any easier. </p><p>Right,  White sighed. So, he needed to pair either, Purple with Yellow or Orange. White wasn’t on par with the drama between the minors but tried to think. Yellow is pretty versatile and, Orange is as well, so that leaves Purple with Pink. White was about to drag Orange’s name up to Yellow but realized that he was putting his co-pilot at risk. </p><p>So he was risking two things right now that are on opposite sides of the plate. Either he could move Orange in with Pink, lowering the chances of a dormitory slaughter, or not do that, reducing the chance of everyone finding out Pink’s role. </p><p>Because everyone knew that Orange was the new co-pilot, whoever would pair with her would be the pilot or paramedic. And now that he and Black had already sorted out the crewmates into roommates, it would be odd for him to switch these roommates. </p><p>White considered the two different kills. They were by two Impostors, evident to their methodology and kinks. White started to reconsider everything, overthinking. He pulled everyone away from their pairs and restarted, this time with fewer restrictions. </p><p>Blue and Cyan are valuable seniors, who can pair with the others, so White refrained from putting them together. Plus, even if he wasn't respecting their preferences, he made it harder for the Impostors to communicate. He dragged Pink’s name card up to his own. It was a better choice, as White didn’t trust her with the others. He also brought up Orange’s name to Cyan, still pretty unsure. </p><p>He pulled Blue’s card up to Brown’s, and he was pretty sure that he was losing it. </p><p>Finally, he gave up. White couldn't trust his crewmates. So, he attempted to recalculate this, again. </p><p>Maybe I should’ve just kept the first list, White regretted. He brought his hands up to his face and rubbed his strained eyes. White glanced at the time, and he still had a little while left. </p><p>He finally decided on some ground rules, as he had to be roommates with either Pink or Orange. But, He can't pair them together. So someone else was going to have to take the other. </p><p>White considered Black. Black was the only other person in the crew, who White trusted with the two girls. Suddenly, the thought of marinating flew into White's mind. What are the chances that Black wanted to be friends with him? </p><p>After getting hard-cleared by Cyan and Orange, Black was no longer a suspect for the kill. They reported with Black in Cams. White’s heart thumped, remembering Green. What if Black had arranged that kill, to get closer to him? To manipulate him into trusting Black and finally stab him on the back? </p><p>White held his head, suddenly feeling drained. He wanted to protect Pink and Orange at all costs, but what was the cost?</p><p>White trembled, forgetting everything that had to do with anyone else. Black was marinating him if he did, Green’s kill, which he probably did. That was why Black was suddenly offering his service to the pilot. That was why he cared enough to talk to him. </p><p>But wait, Cyan and Blue rarely interact with the others. Things such as alibis, only things that they could vouch for each other. They even came into the ship together. Two impostors, pretending to be the most wholesome humane couple, taking out every crewmate. </p><p>They could’ve executed both kills, and no one would’ve suspected a thing. </p><p>What were the chances that Orange knew how to fly a ship, despite not speaking up about it before? White was pretty sure that every Impostor knew how to steer a Skeld ship, as Sabotage eliminations were a way to go. Ship operations are one of the skills they must, be equipped with as a human. What if Orange was using her role as Co-pilot to gain respect and clout? </p><p>Why was Purple, a minor sus-ing him? Sure she graduated from Harvard law school or something, with a bachelor's in Criminal Justice, but in her rookie days, what made her cocky enough to hard-accuse the senior leader? </p><p>Why are Brown and Yellow so generic? Why did Black want to share a dorm with Brown? Black seemed to be close to Brown. Brown was probably Lime's assassin and, Black was Green's. </p><p>Why was everyone so suspicious, all in different ways? </p><p>Why was he suddenly so alone in this mission?</p><p>White knew that he was vulnerable right now, and the Impostors were going to take advantage of that to influence him and get on his good side. And finally-</p><p>“Jacob?” an unknown voice stirred up from a distance. Jacob looked up, staring at Chris. The man was dressed, in his inner task suit, just standing there. His unruly brown hair, set on his head like a wig, and everything around him suddenly seemed fake. </p><p>Chris’s smile seemed to fake and phony, and his eyes gleamed too bright. He was standing there in front of the scan, precisely in the middle of Coby’s vision.</p><p>“Yeah?” Coby asked, sitting up. Chris walked closer to him, taking timed steps. It all felt too real. Suddenly, the elder stumbled, falling over something on the floor with a thud. Coby cursed, getting up to help his friend. </p><p>“Are you okay? What did you trip over?” Jacob asked, feeling Chris latch on to his arm. Jacob grabbed onto Chris’s torso, bringing him up to the bed. </p><p>“Gezz, when did you get so heavy?” Coby asked, dumping the elder on the bed, where he laid with the same expression plastered on his face. Coby laughed, confused. </p><p>“Why are you making that face?” asked the crewmate, getting off the bed. </p><p>“No reason, I’m just happy to feel you,” Green closed his eyes, still grinning. White sat down on the bed, wrapping his hands around his friend. Green didn’t hug back but, White clung to the crewmate. Green smelled like heavy levels of AXE spray, too toxic to take in. A tear streamed down White’s face, as he attempted to break Green with his arms. </p><p>His subconscious was telling him one thing, but he couldn’t help himself. He was indulging in a feeling that he would never get to feel, ever again.  Something felt off, like any second now, everything would fall apart. White clung on to the crewmate, his sweat permeating through his suit. Tears ran down his face, trembling in fear. </p><p>Green ran his hand down White’s back, shushing him. White held on for dear life, plagued with too many emotions. Why was everything crashing down?</p><p>At a daunting pace, Green’s body was losing the sense of life. White was gritting his teeth, sobbing. What was he grasping on to? White clutched on tighter, as Green’s grasp on him started to loosen. White took in a shaky breath, clearing his nose. His heartfelt heavy, afflicted with guilt and misery. White’s suit was damp with sweat, clinging on to him. White’s grip on Green was leaving the elder with bruises that would last for years. </p><p>His mind was clinging on to his sanity like he was to Green. </p><p>Green didn't just represent his sense of reason. </p><p>Abruptly, Green rapidly started getting heavier. With his arms giving out, White just kept Green in the same stance. </p><p>Hold him. </p><p>His body jittered, cramped, and strained. Several parts of his body were numb and tingling with poor blood circulation. But he couldn't feel anything, with the emphasis on Green’s weight. White couldn’t bring himself to say anything for some reason, as muffled sobs escaped his mouth. </p><p>The nook of the right shoulder of Green’s task suit was damp with White saliva. The pilot hadn’t even realized. </p><p>Maybe if anyone else is in White's position, they would’ve put down the burden. But, for some reason, White couldn’t. </p><p>Maybe this dead weight was one that he was going to carry forever. This remorse, something he couldn't handle just yet, this obligation to serve and defend at all costs. White pushed himself closer to Green, letting go for only a second. He readjusted, cramping his left shoulder in the process, an exasperated groan escaping his lips. </p><p>White bit his lip, burying his head back into the crook in Green’s neck. Inhaling the toxins, permeating the crewmate, White took comfort in it. A scent fixed with so much iron and a hint of the festering scent of death.</p><p>Perhaps, comfort isn’t the right word. </p><p>Green’s weight was still, at a rapid rate getting heavier. Instead of facing Green and attempting to communicate with the crewmate, he held up Green, higher in his arms. </p><p>A mishap, this wasn’t supposed to happen. It was just an innocent delusion that maybe, White and Green's worlds could align, that they could live happily with whoever they wanted. But they were too different. </p><p>White was never going to be able to take care of Green. His selfish desires to suppress the other will manifest until there was nothing to defeat. He wasn’t worth Green's time and devotion. In the end, nothing was going to come out of this. Either he was going to suppress his cravings, or the crewmate, there is no in-between.  He was going to find himself questioning his intentions and morality, so just maybe…</p><p>White felt the opening in his stomach, salivating with temptation. With his mouth filled with vapor infused saliva, he couldn’t help himself. His tongue swirled around the exposure of his lips. </p><p>White knew that he wasn’t supposed to find humans this erotically tempting. Hunger and lust. Green shifted awkwardly in his arms, looking up. White eagerly opened his eyes, longing for the contact. </p><p>When he had opened his eyes, reality flashed before him. In his arms, laid himself, the other White offering him a captivating expression. The usual pristine suit was now drenched in blood, that his sense was finally registering. Decadent crimson blood rolled down his garments, putting on quite the show. White didn't know where his other was bleeding from but, he didn't care. Call it a food fetish, if you may, making love to your meal before devouring it. </p><p>White finally noticed something that was out of place. Why was he wearing a Black task suit? </p><p>Black finally picked up on what was happening. He wasn’t too surprised. These dreams, as it was what humans call them, occurs quite often. And this level of gore wasn’t the worst he had seen. In one of the dreams involving his mate, there was somnophilia and necrophilia involved. </p><p>Maybe this was a desperate call from his crippled demeanor to unmark the crewmate, as he wouldn’t. </p><p>Black looked back at White, who had buried his head in Black’s chest, hindering no movement. Black pushed himself back, bringing White’s illusionary frame with him. The Impostor could never bring himself to take advantage of White, not even in dreams. But, he was aware of the impeccable power he held over the human.  </p><p>But it wasn't his intention to ruin the crewmate. Maybe love played a role in this, but Black wasn’t a visionary. He could look at reality in the eye and accept it. Call it pessimism. </p><p>Black flipped White over the bed, letting the imagery rest. Black laid down next to him, appreciating his own mind’s work. His dream realism was one to relish.  </p><p>White's facial features had gotten more prominent, along with his coloring. His dream-system was like A.I, taking in more info as Black observed White.</p><p>White was too good to ruin. Black found it skeptical when he first fell for the human. The night when the crew was standing outside of the dropship, chatting along. Despite being in a tight spot, surrounded by too many crewmates, Black had found himself at ease. He blended in pretty well with the millennials. </p><p>But Black was first enthralled by his mate when finding him amongst the crowd. White looked confident, free to express himself, reminding him of everything that he wasn’t. Black gazed, lost in the memory. White had seemed too perfect, but seeing the more humane side of him, made Black appreciate him even more. </p><p>Perhaps it was love, making Black feel a subtle sense of optimism at the lowest of times.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for getting through all that, and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Make sure to comment down below and concerns or questions or just any thoughts, I will make sure to attend to them! </p><p>Make sure that you are getting your daily 8 hours of sleep and 8 glasses of water! If you don't, you might be at a dier risk of a stroke, even if ur 13 or 14. Make sure that you're drinking water because it will make a huge difference in your appearance and health!</p><p>(P.S- This chapter is 11.5k words, please comment down below 🥺) </p><p>Hope yall have a great day, bye!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Moving and New roommates</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>We see the world from Pink's perspective, and White and Black work toward friendship. The end is thrilling!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi guys!<br/>Welcome to the new chapter, really hope that you enjoy it!<br/>if you've been having a bad day, I hope I can make it better ❤️ <br/>Make sure that you are drinking 8 glasses of water, and getting 8 hours of sleep a day. You could be risking a stroke otherwise!</p><p>- 🐰</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Pink observed the slip of paper pinned to the wall. White finally assigned new roles and roommates, what a relief. She told him not to move around Medbay while he was in bed resting but, at least he was being productive. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She found her name amongst the pairs assigned and paused. Her new roommate was Yellow. Not that she didn’t like him or anything, it was odd how White chose him of all people. She turned around to look for White, but he was gone. Strange, he hung up the paper and just left. They were in the middle of a conversation too. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yellow had come over later and was currently scrutinizing the paper for his own name. Pink sighed, ready to point out the obvious. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So I guess we’re roommates,” She spoke to Yellow, who was hovering over the flyer. Together they stood in the dormitory hallway with no one else around. The uneven heating wasn’t distracting either of them strangely. Yellow nodded, turning to the senior. His dreadlocks set back in place as he spun to face her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yup,” He grinned holding out his hand. Pink smiled, shaking his hand, a bit uncomfortable with the awkwardness. His grip was rather loose compared to her own steady grasp. Yellow coughed pulling away first, as Pink lowered her own hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So I guess, we should move our stuff,” He began, “Since, we have different rooms now you know?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yup, let's get to it,” Pink pushed herself back on her heels, clapping her hand once. Yellow seemed to have appreciated the enthusiasm, as he smiled. Pink smiled back, looking down. She was hungry but she wanted to at least start packing up her things. Pink nodded, brushing past Yellow. Yellow walked in the opposite direction, disappearing from Pink’s range of vision. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pink walked into the narrowing corridors, up to her door which was at the end of the hallway. She was going to miss her old roommate, Cyan. They are both seniors and got along as Green and White did. Maybe not that well, but they were pretty close. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even though Cyan often kicked Pink out of her own dorm room sometimes, to bring her boyfriend over, she was a good roommate. Pink twisted the doorknob after realizing that the door was open and looked at Blue who was in the room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was lifting a hefty box of novel books of the single mess of a bed. She frowned at his posture and walked over to help. She and Blue didn’t go too far back, only meeting at the dropship back in Mira, but she was closer to him than she was to Cyan. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She grabbed the only cardboard box still on the bed and squatted. Blue looked down to question her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Use your hips, not your arms,” She instructed, picking up the load. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This has to be 20 pounds or something, why does she read so much? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Pink shook her head. Mira didn’t allow electronics on to the ship, not even Ipods. Seriously, who ran that place?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their reasoning was that if the Imposters got a sense of their culture, they could use that to their advantage. If that was the case, why even send the crewmates out in the first place?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pink shook her head, hugging the tattered box close to her. No wonder Cyan brought so many books, it’s impossible to not get bored out here. Blue marched out in front of her. She followed him out of the dorm room. Sometimes she wished that she had someone to bring on these trips as Blue and Cyan did. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>These trips would be so much less lonely, and comforting. But the thought of losing that person…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can you move?” Blue spoke up. Pink took a step back but paused when Blue didn’t move. She peaked out from behind her box and glanced at White, who was moving his things out. A bulky duffle bag hung from his shoulders, and he was carrying a large plastic bin as well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pink cursed under her breath. White shouldn’t be carrying this much right after being bed rested. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can you move?” White asked, bumping his box against Blue’s. Blue didn’t have to move anything because it just so happened that he was assigned to the same room. So presumably, he was moving for Cyan. Blue pushed back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Asked first, move,” Blue replied, calmly, not even affected by the friendly bump. But by the way, he was flexing his arms, he was definitely a little sore. Pink spoke up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can you sort this out?” She began, adjusting her grip, “I don’t have time for this,“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Blue looked back at White, who moved out of the way. Pink bumped her own box against Blue’s back, as he started moving. Earlier today, it was confirmed that Green’s death clears White for the rest of the trip. They knew each other back when they were on Earth, that should be an indication that White was human. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Blue was never really suspicious of the leader, from what Pink knew. The senior just really didn’t like him. Purple on the other hand…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pink bent back down, carelessly dropping the box. She had dropped the load in front of the bed to the right, not wanting to crowd the place. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Careful,” she heard White mutter from her back. She stood back up, her back getting relieved. Blue grunted next to her, standing up as well. Pink heart White exiting the room. SHe needed to stop him before he got hurt or something. Pink sped out the door, to White who was slowly walking down the corridor. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She sighed, about to make her way over. Suddenly, Black came out of one of the doors that White happened to be passing, and joined the leader. Pink stared at the pair for a second. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Are they friends?</span>
  </em>
  <span> She wondered, not having any recollection of seeing them together. Not once had she ever seen them talk or even look at each other. Except for that time when Black defended White in the meeting about Green. Black is cleared according to witnesses for both kills and White is too, because Green was human. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She watched as White and Black chatted quietly. Their talking was too quiet for her to hear because she was a good few feet behind them. Suddenly, White both paused as Black faced White. She paused too. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>White handed over the shipping box that he was holding to Black, who accepted it. Pink blinked a few times, trying to understand what she just saw. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Okay, so they are pretty good friends</span>
  </em>
  <span>… Pink shrugged. White and Black, kept walking as nothing had happened, and Pink walked to the exit. If they got along, that was fine with her. Less work for her. She didn’t like how Black didn’t even flinch when taking the box. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She turned to the cafeteria, where most of the crewmates were finishing up dinner. She spotted Cyan sitting at a table far off and went over to her. Pink found it odd how Blue was moving Cyan’s stuff while Cyan was just lounging around. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cyan looked like she was grieving or something, just absently staring out the glass wall. This was more of what White did nowadays, not Cyan. Cyan even looked different, with her hair down. Pink sighed, not liking her surroundings. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Cyan?” Pink called out to her friend, who turned quickly. Pink sat down on the seat in front of her. The metal bench was cold to touch. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Cyan smiled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>How fake, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Pink grimaced. Of all the people on the ship, Pink had never seen someone smile so fake. It looked so forced. Was she in pain? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How are you feeling?” Pink asked. She wasn’t trying to be casual anymore. Pink genuinely wanted to know how Cyan was feeling. As in doctor to patient. Cyan looked into her eyes almost surprised.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I-I’m feeling fine,” Cyan paused, realizing that she had just stuttered, “Why are you asking?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pink sighed, as Cyan tucked a loose strand of her own hair behind her ear. Maybe the paramedic was jumping to conclusions too quickly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No reason,” Pink answered, leaning her elbow on the table. Cyan was definitely hiding something, but pressuring her didn’t feel right. When the elder wanted to open up, Pink would be there for her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just saw Blue moving your stuff, so I was asking,” Pink genuinely answered. Pink didn’t want to push Cyan, but she wanted to make sure that her friend wasn’t injured or anything. Cyan switched her expression to relief as if she was expecting this. But Pink couldn’t just ignore her fearful eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah, he was helping me,” Cyan answered. From her definitive way of talking, Cyan didn’t want to reveal too much. Pink nodded respecting Cyan’s privacy. Maybe she just wasn’t feeling it, but it wasn’t Cyan’s time of the month so it was a little off. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pink did have to keep a period calendar for the girls, because of TMI reasons. Mira thought it was necessary and who was she to argue?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cyan brushed an invisible strand of hair from her face, snapping Pink out of her thought. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Cool, call me if you need anything,” Pink got off from the table, leaving Cyan to her own thoughts again. Cyan wasn’t the only one being weird, everyone on the ship has times like this. Pink looked over at the table of minors, who were chatting amongst themselves. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pink noticed glimpses of Red, Brown, and Orange, who were huddled closely. Pink did sit with them often but she wasn’t too welcome. They were airheads, who only got along with each other and she was fine with that. They liked talking about Earth, which Pink blatantly avoided. For obvious reasons, they shouldn’t be bringing up their home planet in their daily conversations. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pink checked her watch to read the time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>7:40, </span>
  </em>
  <span>She was a bit late to the dinner but it was alright. She didn’t have anything planned tonight. She slipped her card out of her pocket and walked over to the vending machine. Pink tapped in the menu and held up her card for it to scan. She looked over her options, putting together her dinner. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She decided on a simple dinner, which she often enjoyed, a pesto chicken bake. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally, she chose her meal, closing off her order. It took a little while to load but soon the tray was slid toward her from the chute. Eating out a vending machine wasn’t the most delectable way to go but it was efficient enough. She picked up her tray and walked over to the ovens in the corner. Mira also never allowed fresh foods on the ship, just in case it gave the Impostors more knowledge about Earth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pink opened the one in the bottom, since no one uses it, and selected her usual settings. The cold chicken was never too appetizing. Pink stood next to the ovens and observed her surroundings. Orange had left her own table to Cyan's table, probably concerned for the senior.  Pink smiled softly looking at Orange and Cyan. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Orange, despite being younger in the crew, understood most of the hardships that the crew was going through. Pink didn’t know if Orange really understood, but she was a good stress reliever. She glanced toward Brown and Yellow, who was looking depressed. Brown’s head was propped arms, which were lying on the table. Yellow also looked deadpanned, to say the least. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pink exhaled a deep breath. Everyone seemed to be depressed. She wondered if they were going to make it out alive. Her talk with White this morning wasn’t too pleasant. She didn’t know if the point he made, actually made sense, but who was she to argue?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If there was one thing that her 3 years of exploration trips had taught her, it was that Polus is the Impostors safe haven. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sure, the Impostors don’t originate in Polus, or Mira would’ve taken care of them by now, but the extraterrestrial creatures loved it. The first part of any Skeld mission only has a few kills. Impostors usually don’t risk getting discovered, but they still feast carefully. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Polus is where they merge out of the vents, the shadows to kill crewmates. That is where they kill crewmates, to just get rid of the numeral advantage, not to replenish.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pink clenched her fist. Out of her three trips, only one other trip involved an Impostor. The Impostor managed till the end of Polus when they threw her out. Out of their old ship of 8, only 3 crewmates made it out alive. That was just an emotional toll on her sanity. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pink was desperate to get them, Impostors, out this instant. Not one but two. Two extraterrestrial beasts, who wanted nothing more than to rip out their internal organs. Even if it was for their own survival, couldn’t they just…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pink closed her eyes. This trip felt like deja vu. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What if there is only one, like on the last trip? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Pink questioned herself. The crewmates think that there are two only because of the varied method of slaughter. Lime’s killer resorted to humane methods, but it was clear that an Impostor was the culprit. No fingerprints found at the crime scene. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The only weird thing that was found was saliva, which raised suspicions on a single crewmate, Yellow. The DNA was traced back to a 5th cousin to a distant cousin zone for Yellow. White had stressed that the Impostor was merely framing Yellow for the kill, but Pink was afraid that the leader was overlooking the clue. Maybe she was just too desperate to pin someone as an Impostor. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>While in the other hand, Green’s psychotic killer just had to put an end to him in the most brutally insane way. The funny thing is that they still don’t have any liable suspects for that kill. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The oven plinked loudly, signaling that her food was heated up already. Pink bent back down to grab the handle and yank it open. The smell of deliciously cooked chicken hit her nose, as she took the tray out of the oven. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She wondered how the food was never rotten. Weren’t they only supposed to digest dried foods?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pink picked up her try from the cooling rack and made her way over to Cyan’s table. While making her way over, she overheard Yellow speaking. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seems like you know a lot about... Earth,” He spoke slowly to Brown, who peaked at him from his sleeve. Brown was wearing a beige colored teddy hoodie, which Pink thought was pretty cute. Yellow was wearing his usual tight tee that was emphasizing his brawny frame. Pink sighed. They were like complete opposites. Brown was kind but, probably the most depressed out of the team. Pityful. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pink shook her head. Brown was just trying to marinate. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Wait, the Impostor that used Yellow’s DNA to manipulate the crew, has to be close to Yellow, right? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Pink paused. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That would make sense…. Wouldn’t it?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pink looked back at her table, where Orange and Cyan were looking at her funny. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey guys,” Pink greeted. Her voice was a bit crackly, which she wasn’t expecting. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Did I just crack the case, is the Impostor really Brown? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Pink pushed the thought to the back of her head, not wanting to overthink.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi Pink,” Cyan answered. She didn’t look too delighted to see her. Orange smiled back shyly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Am I interrupting something?” Pink asked. She wasn’t happy to see her friends this depressingly secretive. Like they were hiding something from her, that was sad. Orange spoke up next.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not really, I was just asking Cyan about how she was feeling today,” Orange said, looking at Pink. Pink stared into Orange’s honey-colored iris, contemplating her emotions. Orange was giving her a puzzling expression to read. Pink turned away from Orange and looked at Cyan, who was looking back out the window. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m gonna start moving my shit, see ya,” Pink said, earning the boy’s attention from the other table. They didn’t curse much, so it must’ve scared them or something. Pink walked toward Medbay and Dorms. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She hadn’t seen Red for the whole day, so she was a bit scared. Red was one of those crewmates who didn’t know how to relax on the ship. Not the mention, this was his first trip. He was usually somewhere near Brown or Yellow since he didn’t hang out near the seniors, so Pink was confused. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She walked into the Dormitory hallway where she saw White still talking to Black. They were leaning against the wall outside of the bathroom, just talking. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pink caught White’s eye, who waved. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey Pink,” He called out. Pink waved back, catching Black’s eye. Black looked away quickly. Pink walked over to White and Black. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Weird pair, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Pink thought about them again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You two are friends?” Pink asked. White and exchanged expressions, probably realizing that they don’t hang around together much. Black looked at White, waiting for him to answer. Pink looked at the two towers, trying to communicate. She wasn’t joking when she called them towers, both of them were a little over six foot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean, are we?” White asked, joking. White and Black looked back at her. Black didn’t comment on White, leaving for her to decide. Pink laughed dryly. She clearly wasn’t welcome here. Balck was practically staring her down, intentionally or not. White seemed to have not noticed, still smiling like an idiot. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll head out,” Pink exclaimed, watching Black who finally stopped brooding. White nodded and Back watched her head out. White looked back at Black, who was watching her walk away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t like her?” White asked. Black turned his head to face White. His dark fluffy hair sifted back to place. Black’s eyes looked like he was pouting, but he wasn’t. White looked away, confused why Black isn't talking all of a sudden. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do like her,” Black answered when White had looked away. White’s ears perked up, he thought he heard an emphasis on the “do”. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You like-like her?” White teased looking into Black’s eyes who looked away. White’s heart panged weirdly. Of course, he did with his mini crush on Black. He was trying not to fall but, it was just so hard to ignore his feelings now. Plus Black was being a teensy bit clingy. White watched as Black looked back at him, his face pink-ish. White was probably imagining it, considering how light the blush was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aw, you do like her,” White laughed quietly, catching Black’s eye. White looked up, as Black blinked a few times. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, wha-” Black paused, staring at White. White chucked, looking back down. The muscles in White’s neck pulsed slowly, catching Black’s attention. Light indigo veins popped as White looked back up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>White’s fair skin made it easy for the Impostor to see his veins. Black hated it when White showed skin, it was distracting, to say the least. Any bit of that pale complexion could have the Impostor drooling of temptation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Black looked at White’s eyes before the leader could notice where he was staring. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Imagine the crack those veins would make.</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Black shivered at the comment. He was trying so hard to not think about eating humans, and this was all he could think about. He grits his teeth quietly, ignoring his urges. The mark had definitely made it harder to ignore the human’s pray-like traits. Black was regretting marking the human in the first place. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>White looked at Black, who gulped once. Black did fear White, learning about his real traits. The fact that his mate would kill him if he knew the real him, scared Black. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t try shit, Black,” White warned. Black looked back down, trying to contain his surprise. Was he staring too hard?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sex on the ship is prohibited, but don’t fling,” White warned, “I don’t want to deal with shit, especially if you aren’t tested,”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Black coughed, recovering from his panic attack. White was still talking about him and Pink. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t like her like that,” Black said, trying to clear any suspicion, “just as acquaintances, I don’t hate her either,”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>White nodded, getting off the wall. Black was getting tired, but he wanted to stay with White as long as he could. To protect of course. White gave him a lovey feeling that was similar to what he could feel back in his other body. This one, that just occurred at any moment he was interacting with White felt risky, in a good way. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m gonna keep moving,” White announced. Black nodded, getting up as well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you done moving already?” White asked, wondering why Black was following him around this much. White was almost done, but he hadn’t seen Black do any moving for himself. Black nodded, staring at White again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>White felt weird being stared at by someone like Black. Someone so irritatingly calm. White nodded, leading the way for Black to follow. And Black did. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>White wondered why Black had gotten so attached recently. Maybe not attached, but he didn’t push White away anymore, to the point where White had to push him away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He pushed open the door to his old room where Blue was just sitting on his bed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Blue was dressed in a light blue tank top and basketball shorts, or the same thing he has been wearing for the last few days. White didn’t bother to greet the elder, and Blue just kept snacking on his tasteless pita chips.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Those chips are so tasteless, why waste your calories on them?” White asked, walking over to a plastic bin, sitting in the corner of the room. Blue didn’t answer immediately, clearing his bag. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because,” Blue nonchalantly answered, watching Black walk up behind White. White grasped onto the back corners of the box, lifting it. White huffed, holding the box close to himself. His muscles were aching from fatigue. He looked at Black, who was staring at the pile of bins on the ground. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can grab the big bin or a couple of the smaller black bags, I’ll come back for the rest,” White instructed, watching Black bend down. He watched Black pile the small black bags, on to the big bin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t do that, you’ll hurt yourself,” White warned, adjusting his grip on his load. Black had been helping him the whole time, and as thankful he was, Black carried too much at once. Black probably wanted to get over with this, as much as he did, but the crewmate would hurt himself carrying this much. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Black left a couple of the small black bags behind him, taking the majority of them back with him. White sighed, leading the way back out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Blue popped another chip into his mouth, watching them. Black followed White, trailing closely behind him. White walked out of the dorm, happy with their progress. White had packed up his closet and wardrobe. He only needed to go back there one more time, to get his backpack and the little bags. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He walked into his new room, which was vacant for the time. He hadn’t seen Purple or Red around, so that was worrying him. Curfew was closing in, so he needed to usher everyone back to their dorms. White bent down to the ground to set down the box. He placed it down gently, not rushing to drop the items. This one just had most of what he had packed from the bathroom. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He got up from the squatting position, giving black space to put down his load. Black crouched down, placing down the box with the utmost care. White smirked, speaking up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The stuff in there is not that fragile, you can drop it,” White offered, sitting down on Red’s new bed. The boxspring creaked with the sudden contact, creaking into silence. The only warm dimly-lit light was being emitted from the table lamp sitting on top of the nightstand.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They had been dropping White’s things into the middle of the room so that they could sort them out. Black looked up to meet his eye. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>White stared back at Black’s brilliant gold eyes, which looked brighter close-up. The warm tone emitting of the light was making Black’s skin look perfectly sunkissed. Black’s facial features were sharp, chiseled to perfection. He looked like something out of one of White’s wet dreams, that made the leader question his sexuality. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck, </span>
  </em>
  <span>White gulped, as Black looked away, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Did he see me staring?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Black lifted himself on to White’s new bed, sitting across from White. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, we should head to the cafeteria for dinner,” White nodded, getting off the bed. White was dressed in a pair of Sage-colored toggle sweatpants, and a white Jordan sweatshirt. He hated wearing light-colored tops, why did he sign up with this color?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Black answered, getting off the bed. He walked out the door, with White trailing behind him. White took a breathy sigh, tired from all the moving. He just wanted to crash into his bed and get a full night of sleep. He looked into Medbay, as they were passing by. The dark compartment gave him the chills, as he hurried along with Black. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>According to Pink, he needed to assign people for night shifts. White was not okay with that since the rest of the crew was already so fed up with the day. White didn’t want to overpressure the crew and take a toll on their health. If they were going to be sleeping on tasks, who could they vouch for? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>People need to be in their best health to coordinate around the ship. White sighed. The thought of letting a minor do night shifts on their own scared him. If he was still in his early days and had to do night shifts, all alone, he would’ve been terrified. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>White was also aware that Polus was approaching, where there would be no assigned compartments. Everybody would be out on their own. White was trying to assign partners for the time being, but he wasn’t rushing. Getting crucial information about each crewmate’s preference was more important than just rushing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They will be arriving in 2 to 3 weeks, according to the ship’s course. White has sometime before the killing spree takes place. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>White followed Black into the cafeteria, which was empty for the most part. White finally saw Red in the corner of his eye, heading into Admin. Admin is where most of the crewmates hung around. According to them, it was more reliable than security. White wasn’t one to argue.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That just left Purple, who White hasn’t seen around for the whole day. White paused, speaking up to Black. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can grab dinner, I’ll be back,” White informed the crewmate, who had turned to face him. Black nodded, walking off. White walked toward admin. He needed to do a crew count. If there was a weird count where one person was isolated, it could mean the worse. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>White turned the corner into Admin, where Red was still lounging. The youngest was snacking on a couple of Pocky sticks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey Red,” White formally greeted the crewmate, who waved at him. Red watched him check into the Admin map. White checked the map, calculating anything out of the usual. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>2 in admin, that’s us… one in the cafeteria, presumably Black…  4 in Nav, wow…</span>
  </em>
  <span> White huffed. Lucky for him, most of his crew got along just fine, with only a few minorities. They just loved grouping, so it was extremely hard to separate them. White looked on the left side of the map, not expecting anyone to be there. He thought everyone else was at their dorms, moving or something.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>2 in Dorms… that leaves the one in security… </span>
  </em>
  <span>White bit his lip, concerned. He was assuming that the person in security was Purple. Purple hung out by herself too often, like a few others in the crew but, White was sometimes worried for her. She had people around her, who wanted to be her friend, but she never gave them a chance. White didn’t remember looking into Purple’s background, because she wasn’t diagnosed with anything he should’ve been aware of. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>White should’ve looked deeper into their backgrounds, but it felt like he was violating them, of things that they should only know about themselves. White turned around, taking a step down. He leaned on the Admin table, holding up his watch. He hasn’t received any messages yet, so that was concerning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>White logged on to his watch, clicking on the message Icon. White didn’t want to travel all the way to Security, just to get detested, so he just sent her a quick message that read:</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hey :)</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Did you have dinner already?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not expecting to get a message back immediately, White let his watch shut down due to inactivity. He was unexpectedly starving, even after his snack. White gave Red one more look and spoke up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are you reading?” White asked. Red looked up, sitting up in his armchair. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I dunno, a weird book about Minecraft,” Red spoke up, dully slapping the cover of the book, “I think I bought it back in middle school or something,” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>White nodded. He used to play, back when he was a teenager. He and Green used to play Minecraft and some shitty RPG games on their device that they stole back from their home. Green used to use his dad’s crappy office laptop and, White would look on with him. White’s dad would never let him play games on the PC he had back at home. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He and Green shared an account, and played on and on, even after beating the Ender Dragon. They got separate devices on White’s 12th birthday, when they bought a phone together, with the help of Green’s older sister.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They didn’t have a care in the world, playing hide and seek in the abandoned train station, sharing every little thing going on in their lives, being so alone together. When the world would come crashing, they could find each other, leaning against the rustic walls of the station. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>White’s heart ached at the thought of Green being gone forever. The grieving could be a lot to process all alone but he was getting by. The gaping absence of Green’s presence in White’s life was hard to ignore, but White was getting by. Now, nearly everything reminded him of Green. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cringy but, it was what it was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Cool,” White commented. He should be getting back to Black, he’s been gone for a while. Red cleared his throat before speaking up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How’ve you been?” As soon as Red’s question reached White’s ears, the leader stopped himself from getting up. White’s heart thumped slowly, as his urge to just vent all of his frustration lunged out of him. White swallowed, feeling his heavy heart.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine,” White paused, “I’ve been better,”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Red was quiet, but White heard the younger suck in a heavy breath. These weird sympathetic moments are things that White hasn’t felt in a while. Red had lost his parents to Impostors, so no wonder he was trying to reach out to him. White smiled to himself, looking at Red, who was still staring at him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, I’m okay,” White assured, leaning on the table. White stood there, waiting for Red’s response. Red just simply nodded, giving White the cue to make his way out. White slipped both of his hands in his pockets. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll see you around, Red. You should probably meet up with the others in Nav., or move your things into our room,” White concluded. Red nodded, setting his book down. White turned around, walking out of Admin. Red had a hard time expressing himself, so little things like this affected White a lot. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>White strolled back into the cafeteria, where he saw Black, seated down to enjoy his meal. Black isn't eating though, so White came up for a closer inspection. Black had bought himself some mashed potatoes and a cut of strip steak. Upon closer inspection, White realized that Black hadn’t touched his food, with the plastic spork still intact with the tray. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Black mumbled, looking down at his serving of food that White was staring at. White looked up to him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi,” White responded. The younger took a seat on the bench. White leaned his head on his hand, staring at the other crewmate. Black tilted his head, meeting White’s gaze. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aren’t you gonna eat?” Black asked. White blinked, staring at Black’s food. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aren’t you?” White answered Black’s question with another question. Black looked at his food, and back at White.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was waiting for you,” Black said, pulling apart his tray from his spork. The spork detached with a snap, as Black dropped his spork amidst his food. The spork landed on the mashed potatoes, with only the handle peaking out. White sighed, not hungry anymore. Black’s food looked good, but he was too lazy to get up for his meal. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You are not hungry?” Black asked, trying to catch White’s eye. White buried his head in his hands, massaging his eyes. He felt really tired. Meaning that the antibiotics were finally kicking in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m hungry,” White solely answered the question, looking up from his hands. He blinked back tears from irritation and looked down. White suppressed a yawn, focusing on Black. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you want me to get you anything?” Black asked. White looked up, ready to seize the opportunity. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes please,” White grinned, peaking up. He covered his mouth, yawning in the process. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you want?” Black asked. White took a second to think. White was so tired of the bland taste of boiled chicken and eggs, but Pink told him to be healthy. The leader was actually craving some turkey or ham, something cured. White sighed, looking up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Suprise me,” White smiled, leaning forward. Black didn’t eat weird foods from what White saw, so why not?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>White handed Black his own ID card, who took it without hesitation. White watched as the crewmate got up and made his way to the vending machine. White watched Black’s back, stretching his limbs. Black had done a lot for him, this crewmate definitely deserved a raise. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>White clicked on his watch, logging in quickly. Purple had responded to him, evident to the message that had made its way on to his board. White clicked into their chat, reading her message:</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I will grab dinner, on my way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>White wrote back a single “Good” with a happy face. He didn’t have much to do for today, just rest for the night. White looked back at Black, who was walking over with the meal. White’s face lit up, intrigued. What did the crewmate bring him?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Black took a seat down, sliding the second tray toward White, who took it. White realized that the meal was hot, evident from the vaporized water sticking to the plastic cover. White pealed of the cover, being hit with the pungent smell of chilly. White sickeningly stared at what appeared to be chili chicken or fish. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Just what I was looking for, chili,</span>
  </em>
  <span> White thought, trying not to make a face. White could hold his alcohol if he was asked to, but he was weak to spice. He despised spicy food. White used his right hand to break his spork of his tray, looking ack at Black. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for the meal,” White said, picking up his spork, “You should start eating before, your food gets cold,” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Black gave him a puzzling look, questioning White’s reaction. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” White asked, digging his spork into a piece of chicken. From the density of the overcooked thing, White could tell that Black got him chicken. Thank god that he had a side bowl of rice to eat with it. White dropped his chicken into his rice, covering the little thing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing,” Black quietly answered, pulling apart his steak. White stared longingly at the magnificent piece of food. He stopped eating steak years back, to eat healthily but having it sit in front of him, how tempting. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>White lifted the spoon which was heaping with rice and took his first bite. Expecting the spice to hit him immediately, he chewed quickly. White realized that the chicken wasn’t that spicy at all, it was more sweet and sour to his relief. They ate in silence, with no one else around. White kept peaking glances at Black who was eating fast. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Must’ve been hungry, </span>
  </em>
  <span>White thought, finishing up the rest of his rice. The chicken was far too overcooked and chewy, but what could he expect?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>These reheatable frozen dinners were made months ago. Black was savoring the last of his rainbow veggies, as White wrapped up his own dinner. White’s throat was dry, so he left the table to get himself some water. White ordered some water from the vending machine, which came tumbling down the chute. He grabbed it, thinking back to what happened with purple about half an hour ago. She should’ve been here by now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>White walked back to Black with his water. It was almost 9, and White was going head down to Security in person. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m gonna head down to Security okay? I think Purple is still there,” White responded, looking back at Black. Black nodded, getting out of his seat. White unscrewed the cap to the water bottle, chugging down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can get Admin info if you want,” Black suggested, walking toward the trash with his and White’s trays. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” White agreed, closing the water bottle. White hurried out of the cafeteria, heading into the Medbay and Dorm’s corridors. White considered if Purple had head back into the dorms, without having dinner, but went to Security. The hallway was drop-dead silent, without a pinnacle of movement. His gut was telling him not to go further, but he pushed on. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The warm air dominated the hallway, surprising him. The vents in Medbay…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>If the hallways are warm, that means that the Medbay vent is... </span>
  </em>
  <span>White’s thoughts were interrupted when the lights started flickering. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Is someone in the vents?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>White swallowed, looking at the lights, which were dimmed. Along with White’s racing heartbeat, and the air blowing out of the vent, nothing else could be heard. White took a deep breath, rationalizing his next move. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’ll just run down to Medbay, and check it out. Maybe I can even catch an Impostor, </span>
  </em>
  <span>White mustered up his courage, taking a few steps into Medbay. Here the air was still, only adding to White’s suspicion. White flinched as the Medbay lights flickered on. He made his way deeper into Medbay. As much he wanted to believe that there was maybe a piece of furniture, lying on top of the vent, there wasn’t. In the corner of his eye, sat in the vent that seemed to be active. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>White stood still, like a deer caught in headlights, as the lights in Medbay flickered. His feet were planted on the ground, like roots. At first, the lights just flickered as it did, but it just kept flicking. Every time, it came back dimmer, like the chances of his surviving this. White’s emotions were all over the place. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t know what to do, run to someone because he was definitely being targeted or clear someone through the scan. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Impostors can scan, just like the ordinary crewmate, but the one special thing is that, during sabotages, you can clear the real crewmates. The system will glitch immensely but, if you clear someone during a sabotage, they are cleared for good. This is the only way how the scan can come to use for the crewmates, making it excruciatingly difficult to use. One of the plays that the Impostors often perform is setting off a sabotage and waiting in Medbay for smart crewmates. Crewmates who know that you can really clear others during sabotages come down here and get killed, it's that simple. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This was not the first sabotage that had ever taken place, there was a Reactor called a few weeks ago. White recalled a bunch of people being huddled together, insisting that it was going to be a failed double kill. Unfortunately, the crew was too late to seize the opportunity, and no one had been cleared.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck it, I’m already here so there is no point in running, </span>
  </em>
  <span>White cursed, speeding to the Medbay monitor. Also, another shitty thing is that only the leader and Medbay consultant can clear people because they are the only two with the password to the monitor. The password if gone to the wrong hands could sabotage the whole system. That means that Pink and White had to trust each other in order to clear people. Pink could be the Impostor manipulating data, but White had to trust her if they were going to work together. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>White pressed on the power button as gently as possible. Because the system only properly scans people during sabs., it is hard to even get the monitor started. White had trouble with it before, failing to clear someone. The lights around him were completely out. With how dark it was, White couldn’t even see his own nose. Because they were not on Earth anymore, there was no sunlight to help with the darkness. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But thanks to that, White’s other senses like hearing were heightened. White’s eyes were irritated from the piercing glare emitting of the monitor. It had turned on for only a second, before dying out with a hum. White’s heart was beating loudly, as he pressed on the power button again, but it remained off. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That’s when all of White’s hopes of getting out shattered. The Medbay door slammed shut behind him. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hi ❤️ <br/>Glad you made it to the end, I really hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to express your concerns and comments down below.<br/>Make sure that you are drinking 8 glasses of water, and getting 8 hours of sleep a day. You could be risking a stroke otherwise!</p><p>- 🐰</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Priorities</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>An intricately organized kill interrupted by a selfless rescue, that leaves everyone speechless.<br/>_________________________________________________<br/>To get the full effect ✨<br/>Listen to one of these songs: </p><p>- If I killed someone for you- Alec Benjamin (Best to me✨)<br/>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6wkPeH7bMI</p><p>- Let me down slowly- Alec Benjamin (Good to get da feels)<br/>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hFqcDKqUig</p><p>- E.T- Katy Perry (Bomb if slowed and reverbed ✨)<br/>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buM8Od9-7JU</p><p>- Boy in the bubble- Alec Benjamin (Really good ✨)<br/>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_TtNj-lTiM&amp;t=291s</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey guys! Welcome back to the story! I kind of rushed this chapter, but I hope you guys enjoy! None of the songs listed above belong to me. But the story does! I actually listened to these songs, while writing the story :)<br/>You might realize that the chapter count has decreased, and thats because I removed the chapters that doesn't consist of the actual story!<br/>Remember: Drink 8 glasses of water, and sleep for 8 hours. Sitting is the new smoking.... don't risk it boiz.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>White stood there, alone in the pitch-black room. He was trying his best to reason with himself. </p><p><em>Calm down, maybe the Impostor is sabotaging all the doors</em>, White tried to calm his heart, which was pulsing out of control. Never in his lifetime had he ever come this close to death. The real thought that was surfacing out of his consciousness was driving him crazy. </p><p>The Impostor only kept suspicious crew mates, getting rid of the clear ones is their main goal. White is the only person on this shuttle, who was fully cleared for the rest of the trip. Even if they hadn’t found him already, and was not hiding in the vents, they could find him using the Admin map. The only two people that would be in Medbay during a sabotage would be him or Pink. there would be a fifty percent chance that he is the one in here. </p><p>White swallowed the saliva that had built up in his mouth. This couldn’t be the end for him, he needed a way out. White had left his Impostor gun in Nav. If a crew didn’t have an Impostor gun, they were screwed. During meetings, if the crew correctly identifies an Impostor, the Impostor isn't going to willingly walk into the airlock. The pilot has a gun specifically designed for Impostors so that the Impostor has no chance of escaping death. </p><p>The captain isn’t allowed to use it on a daily basis because the gun also affects humans. Only during meetings, can they use the loaded weapon. Impostors knew a lot about humans, like a lot. They knew about their emotional, physical, and mental disadvantages. Humans barely knew anything. The only thing that they had to defend themselves against Impostors is that gun. </p><p>White never carried the gun around with him, because if it fell into the wrong hands, the trip would be doomed. But, now that wasn’t of any use because White had no way to defend himself. The Impostors are aware of the physical disadvantages humans are to them. How inferior even. White had no chances of out powering one. </p><p>White could only hope that they hadn’t set him up on purpose because it would be the end of him then. White’s heart flattered. His crew will make it out without him, wouldn’t they?</p><p>White panicked, thinking back about his life on Earth. His mom, by dying he was letting his mom down. She was going to suffer at the hands of his father, the man that stood for everything he despised. The world was an ugly place, maybe this was the only way to truly escape. In the hands of an extraterrestrial beast. If he was going to go back to earth, he would be going back, empty-handed. Not only empty handed but, with less than what he brought on to the ship. </p><p>Chris wouldn’t have been proud. No one would’ve been.</p><p>He will have to show everyone that he failed to protect, save, and salvage the last bits of his mom’s dignity. Everything that ever meant anything to him. Tears welled up in White’s eyes. Everything was over. This was the only way to go. The pessimist in him was overwhelming him to every extent.</p><p>White bit his lip again. It was all over. </p><p>He turned back around to face the monitor. He was going to do at least some good for the world. White rapidly pressed on the power button, wanting nothing more than for the monitor to turn on. </p><p><em>Please, please, please, I will ask for nothing more… Please…</em> White had stopped believing in god years ago, but he was begging now. The monitor’s login screen lit up after a minute of waiting, and White paused. Despite only a few minutes of waiting, White could feel his knees grow weak. He used his shaky hand and punched in the password. He didn’t want to mess this up. </p><p>Tears started to stream down White’s pale face. From the blinding glare, and his aching heart, he grit his teeth to suppress the sounds of his muffled cry. White watched as the screen got brighter, as it logged him in. He checked the time, confirming that approximately 10 minutes had passed since the lights had gone down.</p><p>White begged all the gods up there, for his team to just fix the goddamn lights. White clicked on the Medbay icon, waiting patiently. The computer was extra laggy due to the sab., adding to White’s tension. By now, White had calmed down trying to think of this logically. </p><p>He needed to get into the site that checks Medbay scans before it was too late. He also needed to write out the name, just in case, he didn’t make it to the meeting. Suddenly, White's ears perked up at the sound of something... viscose. Something viscous crawling through a tight space. It sounded disgusting, like someone slurping a milkshake through a straw. With the bass boosted too many times. The slurping sound crescendoed closer to him. Whatever it was, was trying to come out of the vents. </p><p>White didn’t turn around. His heart’s rate had picked up, but all he could do was focus on his task. His heart was pounding inside of his head. He was sweating, despite the frigid atmosphere. His humane instincts had taken all of the pleasurable thoughts of dying out of his head. He wanted to live. </p><p>He wanted to make it out alive. White’s heart slowed down as the page loaded in. His eyes fixed upon the first name that popped up. </p><p><em>Dominic Reed, Dominic Reed, Dominic Reed- Yellow. Yellow is cleared,</em> White’s heart sped up again. It was rare that the monitor ever lets you clear more than one person at once, but just maybe... White’s heart faltered. </p><p>The monitor glitched out immediately, leaving White to himself, with the monster behind him. Because of how dark it was, White couldn’t see his own reflection on this glass screen. What he could see was the sharp glint of the monster’s teeth, as if smiled upon him. It had to be at least a foot taller than him. White’s own silhouette cut off its terrifying reflection, but White was thankful. </p><p>With the last few brain cells he had left, he wondered why the monster had taken on its full size. It surely did not view him as a threat. Why did it want him so bad?</p><p>The thing inched closer to him, taking it’s time as time slowed for him. White kept staring at the monitor. His head was feeling numb, knowing that it wouldn’t be intact with his body soon. The monster was ambushing him. Maybe it didn’t even know that White knew that it was there. White couldn’t even brace himself for the attack, falling to his knees. </p><p>This was his last resort, but all he could do now was play dead. It definitely saw him typing, so the best thing he could do right now was to not make a scene and, just pretend he had a heart attack or died or fainted of fear. White fell onto his side, rolling onto his stomach. There was no way that he was going to have his eyes open for this. </p><p>Being this low to the ground, White could smell the rancid scent permeating from the monster. White’s burning body was pressed to the cold ground. His heart was beating slowly, taking in the vent’s vibration. The cool air was back up, ad White was feeling calm. He was ready to die any second now. White tried to silence his breath, but he was on the verge of passing out. </p><p>White heard the low rumbling coming from the monster. It didn’t seem to be in a rush to kill him. White grits his teeth in frustration. This was messing with his anxiety levels. Suddenly, a splinter of the slime that the monster was excreting, fell onto White’s cheek. As he had expected, it burned his skin. It felt like a tarantula stung him over and over again, but in the same part of his body. The slime didn’t melt through his skin or anything, it just kept sliding down his jaw bone. </p><p>The further is slid, the more if burned. It was vicious and just the smell made him nauseous. It smelled so pungent, nothing like anything he’d ever smelled before. It smelled like rotting meat, covered in a really pungent iron smell. Death was a great way to describe it. White rolled his eyes back, controlling his gag reflexes. </p><p>He could hear it shuffling, trying to understand what to do with him. White sighed softly, glad that his plan was working. Until it wasn’t. </p><p>White grimaced quietly when feeling a slimy surface, against his shirt. White couldn’t help but clench his abdomen at the feeling. White’s heart stopped, as the creature paused as well. It knew that he was still alive. It shot the tentacle that was roaming his clothed body, up his shirt. White screamed instantly, trying to fight it off. His torso was burning, and so were his hands. He would much rather have it touch a less sensitive part of his body. He aggressively clawed at the monster to no avail. </p><p>The monster stopped at his chest, using its suckers to cling on to the human. White cried out in pain, feeling the electrocuting sensation of the suctioning. It felt like a giant leech, except it wasn’t sucking blood yet. White had no idea what it was doing but it felt horrible. By now, with just the slime secreting of the creature’s tentacle has soaked through his shirt, burning his skin. The harder it sucked at his skin, the more White felt his ribs trying to break out of his chest. His body was numbing from the intense pain, and he had burst into tears. White couldn’t fight his thing, he just couldn’t. He left his numbed, crippled hands fall from its tentacle, looking up at its body. His pained cries echoed across the walls. The monster lowered its head in excitement. White’s cries were like music. </p><p>All White could really see in front of him was its shining teeth, which were massive. A bit of its slime fell on his face. White trembled using his shaky hand to wipe off the slime. White let out a whimper, watching as it opened its mouth. It was all over for him. </p><p>The suctioning around his chest hurt less, as his body prepared to be decapitated. White closed his eyes, as another bulging drop of its slime fell on his eyelid. That would’ve blinded him for sure. White could see white, as he closed his eyes. The glob of slime slid down his face, the smell nearly suffocating him. One more whiff of that, and he would’ve been a goner. </p><p>It lowered its head, up to his head, opened its mouth. White squeezed his eyes and mouth shut. His body tensed, to every extent. His limbs were numb and his body was cramping. Suddenly, a terrifying sound exploded in the room. It sounded like an… alien. Like a wild beast getting electrocuted for too long. </p><p>White’s eyes flew open, as he felt the pain in his chest tighten. White cried out, feeling the skin in his chest start to break. White voice broke, as he let out inaudible sounds. He sounded like a dying dog in his head. The monster was sucking on his torso, sucking up the flesh. White gripped its tentacle, digging his fingernails in. It kept sucking as if it was in pain or something.</p><p>Why couldn’t it just end him?</p><p>Suddenly, the tentacle came loose of his body, lying limp on his torso. Confused and terrified, White used his hand to push out the tentacle. His heart raced, as the tentacle slid out of his shirt easily, leaving slimy residue. White’s nipples were contracted beyond belief. White lied on the ground, aching in pain. Everything was hurting too much for him to process. White opened his eyes, looking up. With his eyes having been adjusted to the dark, he processed the silhouette of a human, with something that was thrashing in their hand. </p><p>White screeched, letting out a weak cry. He couldn’t process what was happening right in front of him. He helped himself on his hands, backing up toward the wall. His body was still aching from the burning sensation. His eyes were starting to ache, and White was crying in pain. The slime had gotten into his eyes and it felt like rotten onion juice had been injected into his eyes. The smell was just indescribable. </p><p>White snapped back to his senses, observing what was just happening. </p><p><em>An impostor, kill… another impostor, save..</em> White blinked ferociously. An impostor saved me from another one.</p><p>White slouched half-lidded. His eyes were also burning, tears streaming down rapidly. Yet he couldn’t close his eyes yet. They burned even more, with the added heat of his eyelids. </p><p>Finally, White gritted his teeth, slamming his eyes shut. The idea of being saved... By an Impostor, felt surreal. He shook his head, wincing at the feel of his muscles contracting. White let his head fall limp, leaning back. White wanted to yawn because of how tired and in pain he was. </p><p><em>I’m alive,</em> was his last thought before blacking out. </p>
<hr/><p>Cyan huffed, walking toward Shields. In the pitch-black ship, finding the rest of her crew mates was like finding needles in a haystack. Her biggest goal right now was not to turn on lights. She wanted to find other people who were struggling in the dark. The other experienced crew mates could fix the power outage. </p><p>Cyan stared into the darkness, trying to find someone’s flashlight. Flashlights are one of the few things that crew mates are equipped with, in case of a lights out situation like this. Her own was switched to the highest setting, as she navigated the dark hallways. Cyan creased her stomach with guilt. She was pregnant. </p><p>When she found out today morning, she was so out of it. Blue and her had sex a few nights back, so it couldn’t be from back then. It takes 2 weeks at the least to accurately identify pregnancies. Cyan was so confused, when she remembered the time before that, 2 months ago, about their fight. They had just gotten to the ship and had sex a few days later. Cyan had sworn that she felt the condom break inside of her, but Blue had denied it.  </p><p>She was at least two months. Cyan’s heart was heavy with guilt. She told Blue about it already, and he agreed with keeping it under the cover for a little longer. Blue wasn’t mad at her, knowing that it was his fault as well. In their two years of dating, she had never seen him fake happiness this badly. His eyes were filled with regret.They weren’t ready for kids.</p><p>The fact that he wasn’t accusing was making her accuse herself. As much as she didn’t want to feel like a burden, the self-loathing was killing her. Cyan huffed, pouting. One good thing about being in the dark is that you can do weird things in public. No one would see you unless they are on Security. Cyan sighed, walking past Shields. </p><p>She had done Shields a few times before, but it wasn’t exactly her place to be. Being under pressure, and constantly being in contact with space wasn’t her thing. At first, she was excited since, White had this much faith in her, but soon started to feel the pressure. Shields might be the hardest job, along with Captain and Reactor. Often the Shields consultant had to fly out to space, to fix an unplanned hit that might mess with the controls inside. </p><p>Being out in space sounded… terrifying, to say the least. Cyan sighed, walking past Comms. And she had to work at Comms., which was her old compartment. What was White thinking, making her in charge of two huge compartments?</p><p>Cyan groaned to herself. Comms looked scary in the dark with its narrow opening. Cyan hurried past, walking toward Electrical. Lights have been out for almost half an hour, with no one bothering to fix them. Cyan inched closer to the dreaded compartment, fearing her life. What if someone had already gone to fix it?</p><p>She bit her lip, unsteady with her circumstances. During the meeting, she would surely get sussed for not fixing lights, despite being so close to them. The pressure on every crew mate was high, and any wrong move can send you to the airlock. She took baby steps toward Electrical. The thought of getting killed scared her, knowing that there was another life inside of her. She squinted, angry with herself. </p><p>If only she hadn’t gotten pregnant like this. Before coming to each trip, everyone gets an offer to get permanently sterilized, with either female sterilization or vasectomy. She and Blue had decided to not get one, having dreams of starting a family later on in their lives. Cyan didn’t think anyone on the ship had gotten it anyways. </p><p>She felt for the Electrical walls with her right hand. Electrical’s hallways are always dim. During a lights sabotage, it's even harder to navigate its hallway. Locating the gaping opening, Cyan made her way inside. Suddenly, she blinked as the lights started flickering back. If she was deep in Electrical, she might’ve never noticed it turn on in the first place. She squinted, letting her eyes fixate on the figure inside of the compartment. </p><p>There stood Purple, who was covering her eyes as well. She was probably blinded by the light. Brown was standing in there as well, beaming. Cyan thought he looked cute with that expression, especially with his furry hoodie on. Red was using his forearm, to shield himself from the dark. Cyan tried to see past them but no one was there. She held up her flashlight, flicking the little device off. Cyan slipped it into her pocket, looking back up. </p><p>“Hey Nat,” Brown smiled, walking forward. Brown was one of the very few people who actually referred to each other with their real names. Well, nicknames to be exact. </p><p>She met him midway, as he nearly scooped her up. Cyan laughed, trying not to show that she was nervous. Her belly was looking a little fuller today. She hoped Brown didn’t feel anything out of place. She wrapped her hands around the man. He smelled a little bad, definitely needing a shower. Everyone in the ship did, with how much pressure they had been under in the last few minutes. </p><p>She pulled away from his hot embrace, falling back on her heel. Brown was actually pretty short compared to the other boys. She didn’t think that she was too off his height, and she was only 5’5 (166.7 cm.) She greeted him after their hug. </p><p>“Hey Ash,” She replied, adjusting back on her foot. Brown smiled, showing his pearly whites. He was so wholesome when he was in a good mood. Cyan found that Brown was quite emotionally sensitive. He got sad easily, like really easily. It was hard for him to remain in a positive mood for too long. She didn’t want to say that he had depression or anything, but he showed some symptoms like weird habits and what not. </p><p>“I walked here alone, from Navigations,” He beamed. She smiled fondly at the minor. It was a bit weird for someone with only one trip of experience to fix sabotage on their own, but Brown was just an unpredictable person in general. One minute he is laughing with the crew, next minute even with all of the attention on him, he just needs space away from the group. Cyan nodded.</p><p>“That's really great!” Cyan congratulated. Brown stopped smiling brightly, reducing to a smaller smile. Cyan looked behind him at Purple and Red. They were leaning against the metal-plated wall, talking. Their conversation didn’t seem too pleasant though, since none of them were beaming exactly. Brown turned around, to look at them as well. </p><p>“Cyan, can I talk to you for a second?” Red asked. Cyan tilted her head, stepping forward.</p><p>“Go ahead,” She answered. </p><p>“Have you seen Blue or White around?” Red replied. Brown looked at him and back at Cyan, who was thinking. Blue had rushed her to dinner, assuring her that he would do the moving for her. She barely saw White that whole day. She did remember seeing a glimpse of the man near the dorms, but that was an hour before the lights had gone down. </p><p>“Few minutes before the sabotage of the light, White told me to come down to dinner,” Purple started, “I think he was having dinner as well, or just finished,”</p><p>Red’s eyes lit up. </p><p>“Oh, Black came into Admin from the cafeteria before the lights had gone down,” Red informed them, “Also, White had come down to Admin just earlier to get info,”</p><p>Cyan thought about it. She did remember eating with just about the whole crew, before heading to Nav. </p><p>“I can partially vouch for Black. We were together when lights had gone off. He agreed to let me go down to lights on my own after some persuasion,” Red acknowledged. Purple nodded her head. </p><p>“That matches up with my story. I was in Security before lights had gone out. I went straight to Electrical,” Purple looked at Red for affirmation, “I was the first one here, Red came in a little later,” </p><p>“Well, Brown and I were in Nav. with a few others” Cyan started, trying to remember what had happened, “Everyone was panicking for a while, and Brown ran out first, going to fix lights,”</p><p>Brown nodded in confirmation. Brown had not gone out willingly, of course, they had a vote, to see who would get voted on, and Brown had the most. Cyan could see that most of them were trolling, but she had volunteered first. She wasn't going to let a pregnancy stop her from being a good crew mate.</p><p>“I went straight from Navigations to lights, no double backing,” Brown huffed, shaking his head. From his tone, Cyan could imagine a frightened Brown, running down the hallways. </p><p>“I think I might’ve seen Red entering Electrical, as I was walking into Storage,” Brown said. Cyan nodded. A wave of comfortable silence passed between them. Cyan hesitantly spoke up, asking the anticipated question. </p><p>“Do you think that there are any casualties?” Cyan asked. Red made eye contact with her immediately. His expression was hard to read, so she just looked down. Next to her, Brown seemed to have noticed the tension. Brown was about to speak up but Purple cut him off. </p><p>“Because a lot of the ship was grouping in Nav., and there is a kill, we should have a bunch of clears,” Purple stated. Cyan felt relieved at her words. Fewer people to remain as culprits. </p><p>“Yeah, we shouldn’t have too many people, if there was a kill,” Brown commented. Cyan thoughts about Blue, who was in the Dorms most likely. She bit her lip, understanding that his location would put him under suspicion.</p><p>“I think White is dead,” Brown said, interrupting Cyan’s trail of thoughts. </p><p>“Why?” Purple asked. Red looked out to the entrance. Brown blinked abruptly, not understanding Purple’s question.</p><p>“Green legit talked about him and White being like brothers back on Earth. They grew up together,” Brown answered. Purple grumbled.</p><p>“Green never said anything like that, he only hinted at it. We don’t know if they actually grew up together,” Purple scoffed, “For all we know, White could be manipulating us by using Green’s death as a permanent clear,”</p><p>“Why can't you accept someone else’s clear?” Brown grumbled. Cyan internally groaned. She was not in the mood to deal with these shenanigans. They weren’t even at the meeting table, yet.</p><p>“I’m going to head out guys,” Cyan said heading out of the door. Brown and Purple argued behind her back, as she walked out. As she was exiting, she saw Black walking toward Electrical. Cyan smiled, going to greet Black. He didn’t smile back, even stumbling backward. He looked bewildered.</p><p>“Hey, Black,” Cyan greeted. </p><p>“Hi, who else was in Electrical?” Black asked. He definitely looked a little disheveled, and Cyan, taken back, replied with a different question. </p><p>“What do you mean?” Cyan asked. Now she was put off, why was he asking for Admin info? Was someone dead?</p><p>“Who was in Electrical just now?” Black repeated, putting more emphasis into every syllable. He was out of breath, giving Cyan the impression that he was in a hurry. Cyan looked into his hazel eyes, which looked almost gold. They look unnatural now that she looks at them properly, like contacts. She looked back down, feeling weird for judging him.  </p><p>“There was uh, Purple, Brown and, Red,” She answered, looking back at Black. He nodded, walking toward Electrical. Cyan took the nod as a token of his appreciation. She was now contemplating where the body was as if there was a body. </p><p>Cyan felt her stomach with her hand, remembering that she was pregnant. Hits like a bomb every time that she remembered. She remembered about Blue, who was supposed to be up in the dorms. </p><p>Better check up on him, Cyan thought. Both of them had to get out alive from this trip. She was not going to let Blue die on her. Her heart ached, remembering about White and Green. Poor White was probably suffering. She felt so bad for not even visiting him when he was being bed rested. Every other part of the ship was underfunded, and she had to check up on Orange, to make sure that the co-pilot wasn’t struggling. </p><p>She walked past Admin, turning her head. </p><p><em>Should check on some Admin info, before heading up,</em> Cyan walked over to the table. She pressed on the map and brought it back to life. </p><p>
  <em>One in dorms, that must be Blue. The one in Medbay, probably White. One in Security, don’t know who that is. 3 in Electrical, one in Admin and 2 in Nav. The others must be out in the Hallways. </em>
</p><p>Cyan needed to check up on White and Blue. Blue had been cooped up in their dorm for way too long and it’s a likely chance that White was dead. She huffed. Either of them dying sounded like a total tragedy. She watched as the table went into sleep mode, and walked out. </p><p>She remembered Black rambling about who was in Electrical, so it’s likely that he caught a vent kill from Medbay. Cyan shivered. They thought of being slaughtered after grieving for someone else sounded insane. She walked around one of the tables, walking up to the entrance of the left side from the Cafeteria. Cyan’s heart rate sped up when she saw the locked door. Someone sabotaged the entrance to Medbay. </p><p>Her suspicions were only becoming solidified, as she noticed Blue walking out of the room. White would’ve come out by now. Blue couldn’t even bring himself to smile when noticing the sabotaged Medbay entrance. </p><p>“Is someone in there?” Blue asked, his voice cracking. The last time he had spoken was a while before lights out. Cyan nodded, pursing her lips. She was bracing herself for the corpse. Blue walked closer to her, avoiding any physical contact. An awkward silence passed between them. </p><p>Blue shifted his footing, leaning against the wall. Cyan opened her mouth about to speak up. The silence is unbearable. </p><p>“Who do you think is in there?” Blue asked, cutting her off. He kept quiet when realizing that she was about to speak. Cyan let out a breathy sigh, answering. </p><p>“White, that’s what everyone thinks too,” She said. Blue nodded, not asking her to elaborate. </p><p>He was tempted to ask her about the baby. He knew that it was like her to blame herself, so he wanted to assure her that it wasn’t. Blue had to muster up a lot of courage to be sentimental so he decided to hold it off. </p><p>The thought of being a dad made him ecstatic. Blue just hated the idea of Cyan being under this much pressure while being pregnant. He didn’t think that their earth life could support a baby anyways. But what was he supposed to do, ask her to abort?</p><p>There is no way Cyan would let go of the baby. </p><p>Cyan leaned off the wall earning Blue’s attention. He looked at her and back at the sabotaged door that was sliding open. Blue gulped. He wanted to ask Cyan to not go in there but he didn’t know how she would take it. He shouldn’t be getting too protective early on. But the stress was bad for the baby. Blue watched as his lover’s eyes widened. What was she looking at?</p><p>Blue came by her side, to get a look through the crack. It looked fine in there, they couldn’t even see White. Blue took a step forward. He wanted to ask her to not go in there but, he shouldn’t be getting this protective early on right?</p><p>Blue glanced back at Cyan. She had inched back, anxious. Stress was bad for the baby. He needed to make a move, as the dad. </p><p>“Baby, stay out here, I’ll check it out, okay?” Blue asked. He had put on a small smile, attempting to make her feel better. Cyan blinked out of her trance, looking up at Blue. There was fear embedded into her big eyes as she nodded. Blue was astonished by how easy that was. In a dangerous situation like this, Cyan usually got really clingy, not letting him go out. She was probably thinking about their baby as well. </p><p>Blue took a few steps forward. The door was now wide open, leaving nothing to the imagination. Blue walked in confidently. He was honestly terrified, knowing that there was someone in here, who had been trapped for the whole time. Blue didn’t see anyone in the main room, where the beds are stationed. The monitor was also turned down, which he walked over to. There was a slightly off putting smell coming out of the area, and Blue was triggered by it. </p><p>It smelled like someone had tried to clean up a puke incident. Blue’s eye caught the post-it note in the corner of his eye, that was taped to the monitor. He picked up the note, which read: clear yellow. </p><p>It was written like a 4th grader trying to impress their friend by writing in print. Bit sloppy but understandable. Blue stared at the note, putting it back down on to the table. Yellow being clear did shock him a bit. The crew mate could be a little underwhelming sometimes. </p><p>Whoever this was that cleared Yellow, would have to know the password to the monitor. This added to the whole suspicion about White being the one that got killed. If White died, they were practically screwed. The leader is so important to the team that crew mates cannot stress this enough. </p><p>Blue swallowed. He knew that he and White had never been the best of friends, but he did feel sorry for the poor guy. Man lost his best friend to a killer beast. Blue had come down earlier today, to drop off his laptop. White looked so shocked, at his kindness.</p><p><em>White’s stupidity made it hard for people to show emotions in front of him,</em> Blue thought. <em>So stupid.</em> </p><p>Blue looked around the room, making eye contact with Cyan, who was waiting by the doorway. Blue smiled at her, and Cyan gave him a little smile back. She still looked scared, so Blue hurried. He needed to find White’s body before Cyan wanted to come down. </p><p>Blue was expecting the worst really. White was fairly well built, and only an inch or two off from him, so the Impostor had a lot to feast on. Blue was expecting a slime covered corpse of White, with all of the flesh ripped off. A clean carcass. Gruesome as it is, Blue shivered. Even if White was alive, he would’ve come out by now. </p><p>Blue sighed, frustrated. He had scanned the whole room with his eyes, hoping to get a glimpse of the crew mate. The beds were flat, and nothing was under them. The more Blue looked the more he got scared. Blue’s regal shaded eyes scanned the room again, trying to find a remote sign of White being there. </p><p>Blue’s eyes lit up. If it was the case that White was one of the Impostors, they would immediately know because Cyan had checked Admin while the Medbay door was sabotaged. If White got out, which it seems like he did, he would have to be the Impostor. He would have to vent out. </p><p>Blue smirked to himself. He walked around the room one last time. Suddenly, something caught his eye. </p><p><em>Is that a door?</em> Blue pondered. According to the Medbay map, a door should not be there. But then again, he never worked here. Blue gulped. <em>So this is where you’ve been, White. </em></p><p>Before reaching for the doorknob, Blue wondered if he was even allowed here. Too many questions flooded his mind, as he pushed them away. Most likely, White was trying to hide here, but the Impostor caught him in the act. Blue sighed. That means that there is a chance that the Impostor is the Medbay person. Or they would’ve had a hard time trying to find White. </p><p>Blue held his breath, twisting the doorknob. </p><p><em>Here goes nothing,</em> Blue pushed it open. Just through the ajar door, he could smell the awful smell of death. Blue whipped his head outside, taking in a deep breath of the fresh air. It smelled like a very toxic plant had grown in that room, which he was not expecting. Blue sucked in more air, finally pulling back inside. He felt around the wall, for the power switch. </p><p>He didn’t open the door full way, just in case, Cyan could see inside. </p><p><em>There it is,</em> Blue flipped on the light switch. As it flickered on, Blue starred in front of him. Evident to the toilet and sink next to him, Blue was obviously in a bathroom. But it was White’s body in front of him that scared him. Never had he ever found a body like this. </p><p>Fortunately, White’s flesh was still intact but something odd had been done to his body. White was sitting in a bath of grey water, which was still see-through. Blue stepped closer, noticing something on his stomach. A wound. </p><p>White’s skin on his chest looked a bit loose. There was a pattern on his chest where there were domes sunken into his skin. The coloring was fine which Blue was happy about. White’s hair was wet as well. There was a bandage around his torso, which seemed to be securely tightened. There was also a weird wet paper towel that was on his face.</p><p><em>Well, he doesn’t look dead,</em> Blue shrugged. He held up his watch, about to report the dead body.  His heart dropped. Normally, your watch can detect whether someone is dead, but his watch was glitching. It was not letting him report the body. Blue took a step back. </p><p><em>Did Impostor even finish the job?</em> Blue blinked a few times. He started to ask himself a few obvious questions. </p><p><em>Why was there water in the tub?</em> Even if the Impostor left the water on for whatever reason, the tub would’ve over flooded by now. </p><p>Blue noticed the water level of the bath. </p><p>The Impostor waited for the bathtub to reach its bathing capacity, and then dunked White in. Even if White had put himself into the bath, he wouldn’t have been able to wait for the water to get this high. </p><p>Blue remembered about Cyan, who was probably dying of anticipation. If he isn’t able to report the situation, he at least had to get to the button as soon as possible. Blue glanced back at White. Pity washed over Blue, as the eldest made his way out of the bathroom. </p><p>Polus was going to end them. He sped out of the bathroom, taking in a deep breath of the clean Medbay air. Blue couldn’t stop himself from thinking about why White was even in the water. Did the water marinate him or something?</p><p>Blue looked up at Cyan, who was still waiting for him up there. But this time she was accompanied by Orange, Brown, and Yellow. The four of them had the same look of sympathy plastered on their faces. Dread washed over Blue. He had to bring the news of White to the rest of them. Cyan looked up, making direct eye contact with Blue. Her eyes fell noticing Blue’s solemn expression. </p><p>The rest of them looked up as well, acknowledging Blue. Brown clutched onto the edge of his fluffy hoodie. Yellow was already crossing his arms over his chest, as Red stood off the wall. For a second, it was so silent that you could hear a needle drop. Everyone already knew about what Blue had discovered, but was too afraid to speak up. </p><p>Blue knew that some of them were wondering why he hadn’t reported the body. Blue sighed. </p><p>“He’s in there,” Blue explained. He didn’t know how else to put it. Leaving it for the paramedic seemed like the best idea at the time. Everyone crowded in the hallway took a breath of relief. Orange raised her eyebrow. She didn’t seem to be happy with the news, taking Blue’s words menacingly. </p><p>“Why didn’t you report the body?” She asked. Blue let out another sigh. </p><p>“Because he isn’t dead, yet,” Blue replied, looking away. Cyan looked up, Brown and Yellow’s eyes widened. Orange gasped softly. </p><p>“Wait what?” Yellow spoke up.</p><p>“Are you sure he isn’t dead?” Orange asked, “Because this is a sick joke,”</p><p>Now, she was crossing her arms as well. Blue nodded his head. </p><p>“It won’t let me report the body, since he is still alive,” Blue confirmed. </p><p>“Can we see him?” Brown asked, nearly cutting off Blue. Yellow looked at Brown and back at Blue, nodding. Orange made a doubtful expression, looking off at Cyan. Cyan returned the same expression. </p><p>“Well, no,” Blue answered before anyone could get ahead of themselves. Brown cut him off before he could explain why. </p><p>“Why not, is he undressed or something?” Brown grumbled. Blue received disappointing looks from the rest of the crowd. </p><p>“Yes, exactly. He is naked in a bathtub,” Blue finished, using a sarcastic tone. Cyan sighed, walking off to the cafeteria. The minors followed, with mixed emotions about the situation. Blue stood there, waiting for Cyan to call the button. </p><p>Soon Blue’s ears were blaring with the sound as he took the few steps required to reach the table. </p><p><em>Two kills in one week,</em> Blue sighed. He couldn’t even process White’s case as it was so weirdly staged. It was like he had gotten stung by a ginormous octopus and just left there to die… with a bandage. Blue felt a little bit of hope spark. Maybe he wasn’t dead just yet.  Blue watch as the room was flooded with the crewmates, all walking in from their respective places. </p><p>First walked in Black, who had exited from Admin, along with Purple and Red following from behind. They sat around the table, ready for the meeting to begin. Finally Pink came back from the right side. Her eyes glanced over the meeting table, realizing that White wasn’t there to join them. Her heart sank. </p><p><em>Why did they have to call the button, before finding his body? He could be dying right now</em>… Pink complained to herself. She sat down between Cyan and Yellow. Few people in the crew had odd expressions on, which scared her. </p><p>“Since we are all here I just want to get this out of the way," Blue started off the meeting, “I found White’s body in the bathtub in Medbay, but I couldn’t report it since he is still alive,”</p><p>Collective gasps were heard around the room. Pink blinked a few times, taking in the information. <em>The Impostor didn’t finish him...</em></p><p>“Someone should head down there, right?” Black spoke up, earning Pink’s attention. </p><p>“Well, duh?” Blue answered. Pink gulped. She was anxious about checking up on White, but it was what she was here for. Cyan spoke up next. </p><p>“This has never happened before. How can we send down someone without letting the Impostor catch them?” Cyan asked. Pink looked around the room, trying to catch an off-putting look. Everyone was either distressed or still shocked by the news. Pink spoke up.</p><p>“Let’s go back to Dorms, then there we can send down the paramedic,” She suggested. </p><p>“What if the doctor is paired with an Impostor, then what will happen?” Brown asked, raising an eyebrow at Pink. Blue’s eyes lit up, remembering something.</p><p>“Oh yeah, someone Medbay-cleared Yellow,” Blue replied, putting down a post-it note on the table. Pink read the note, which said something along the lines of clearing Yellow. Her initial thought was that White wrote it down since he knew that he wasn’t going to make it. But that could be what the Impostor wants them to think using White’s death as a way to clear another Impostor. </p><p>“What if an Impostor wrote that to clear Yellow?” Pink asked, earning everyone’s attention. Red spoke up next, countering Pink’s theory.</p><p>“What if the Impostor wrote that, knowing that we were going to think like this and throw Yellow out if White doesn’t remember clearing him,” Red said, being cut off. </p><p>“Yeah but, it’s not like we are going to throw him out, and that’s a stupid reason to keep White alive. Just to kill some random crew mate,” Pink rebutted. She did get some disapproving looks from getting her point across but, at least she was heard. </p><p>“Okay, so our best bet is that it was White who cleared Yellow,” Orange clarified, “And even if it was an Impostor who cleared Yellow, we can’t make rash decisions,”</p><p>“Yes, can we please just go back to our rooms and let the doc. head down?” Blue asked, already getting out of the table. Pink followed behind with the rest of the crew. One more person was going to find out about her secret. She was shocked after hearing that White was alive. </p><p>Why would the Impostor not kill the leader? Pink asked herself. They only have one more person on the ship who can even steer it, so why not get rid of White?</p><p>Pink sighed. This had been the most hectic week in the entirety of this trip. Orange was definitely going to have to drive the ship for the next few days, depending on White’s condition. Pink was also curious about how close the Impostor had come to killing White. Was he paralyzed or something?</p><p>Pink prayed for White, that White had not touched the toxic perspiration of the Impostor. Pink nearly grimaced at the thought. The Impostor in its “survival” form excretes a very toxic slime from its body. If a human makes contact with the “sweat,” their body will immediately contract a heavy case of ARS, which is an acronym for acute radiation syndrome.</p><p>Usually, after suffering for a few hours, the victim will pass out because of exhaustion. That’s when the poison really spreads. The slime that they excrete is definitely radioactive, and there is a poisonous factor linked with it as well. After 10 years of research, the type of poison was identified as an ancestor- relative of botulinum toxin, which is very hard to defuse by itself. There is only one cure that isn’t that accessible, so Mira can’t equip each ship with enough of it. </p><p>The hardest part about defusing the “sweat,” is getting rid of the radiation while battling the poison. That’s why anybody exposed to the slime has to be exposed. Another one of “those” rules. </p><p>Surely this is what happened, Pink didn’t expect any less from the Impostor. What really confused her was why didn’t the Impostor finish the job? They had 30 minutes to get it done, so why didn’t they finish him? Surely they kept him alive for a reason. </p><p>Pink walked up to the dorms with the rest of the crew. Everyone looked worn out, heading into their new rooms. Pink walked into her own room, which was empty for the most part. Some of Yellow’s things were scattered here and there, but Pink had been procrastinating. But after what happened today, she would not have any more time to move her things. </p><p>The room was dimly lit with the same warmly tinted table lamp that was in every room. Pink saw two worn-out big luggage in the corner of the room, along with 3 medium-sized gray boxes. Yellow didn’t seem to carry that much with him.</p><p>Pink sat down on the small armchair in the corner of the room. She was waiting for Yellow so that they could finalize their rules and decisions. A few minutes later, she heard the door open, to which Yellow made his way inside. Pink noticed Yellow’s tightly fitted crew neck undershirt. <em>What was he thinking, walking around the freezing ship like that?</em></p><p>Pink took note of some of the damp parts of his shirt. Yet he had been sweating the whole time?</p><p>Pink glanced at his bulging thighs well defined by his choice of sweat pants. He really knew how to make someone simp, huh? God, this was going to make the atmosphere so much more awkward than it had to be. </p><p>With the frigid temperature of the ship, Pink had taken all of her sweaters and cardigan into consideration. Alas, she decided on a pink woven cardigan that reached mid-thigh. It was quite bland but very comfortable. She paired that with a simple loose grey tee that was tucked into the rim of her white skinny jeans. The jeans were a hassle to get around in but that was the sacrifice for not looking like a slob. She had paired her whole outfit with a comfortable pair of flat-heeled grey ankle boots. She had pulled her hair into a messy bun. In her opinion, this was a casual and comfy look. </p><p>Orange only wore over sized sweatshirts and tees so she always made a fuss about getting all dressed. Pink liked dressing up. Getting dressed up took away from the feeling of despair on the ship. The “<em>ride-or-die</em>” atmosphere. </p><p>Yellow took baby steps into the room. He looked quite intimidated by her, so she decided to speak up. </p><p>“I don’t know how much I can trust you but, let’s have a chat,” Pink paused, “because I have to leave soon,”</p><p>Yellow’s eyes widened, surprised. He knew that the senior didn’t want to waste time dealing with him, while their leader was dying. Yellow nodded, urging her to get going. </p><p>“Of course, you should go now,” Yellow nodded. He was shrinking into himself, staring at Pink. Before lights had gone off, he was wearing his most comfortable outfit, which was now drenched with his sweat. Doesn’t everyone do a little bit of sweating when stressed? Yellow swallowed, breaking the eye contact. </p><p>He heard Pink sighed from across the room. Pink stood up, making her way toward the door. Despite having a person dying only a compartment away, Pink wasn’t feeling too rushed. Whatever was waiting for her in Medbay was going to die anyway. She walked past Yellow who was walking into the bathroom.</p><p>Maybe she was being too harsh on the crew mate. Pink didn’t hold something against him personally, but just the thought of him getting away with all of this made her angered. If he was an Impostor the whole time, and without even altering his DNA got away with killing Lime, Pink was going to be pissed. </p><p>She and Lime were friends before his demise. Lime was one of the only people who were easy to talk to on the ship. She didn’t know much about him other than the fact that he was only a year younger than her, making him 24. Imagine dying at 24, with your whole life ahead of you. Pink breathed deeply. She hated the world. Why does it have to be this way?</p><p>The rich are only born into a fortune. There is such a difference between the middle class and the upper class. And it was only going to get worse if Mira was not taken care of. That corrupt corporation needs to go. As lucrative as the business is, it’s like an immoral casino. You bet your own life for a few thousand. A decade ago, that was barely worth a brand new car. </p><p>Pink sighed, closing the ajar door behind her. It gently clinked as the lock snapped into place. This was going to be a long trip. They already lost Lime and Green, and now White?</p><p>Pink was actually starting to doubt their chances of making it. After they took out Orange, it was all over. White was probably kept alive as a sick joke. A morbid sick joke, that could send shivers down anyone’s spine. Pink gritted her teeth. She dared not to question an Impostor’s morals. How much worse can it really be from humans? </p><p>Chasing the philosophical theories concerning Impostors was really not worth it for the long run. One night back on Earth, after her first trip with an Impostor, she really started to question it all. Maybe they weren’t all bad, and there were just a few bad apples. Who just happened to be at the top. Maybe humans and Impostors weren’t so different after all. </p><p>Pink stared ahead, directly at the bathroom door. It was hard to spot, even with the lights on. She, White, and a few others are only a few who even knew about its existence. Mainly experienced seniors, or people who have ever worked here. <br/>
The people that do know about it, prefer to keep it a secret, preventing it from spreading around the ship. </p><p>No one other than the Medbay consultant ever uses it, even if they know about it. This is an unspoken rule, to honor its worth as a refugee. Being one of the only rooms that can be locked by any crew mate, no wonder it was considered so prestigious. </p><p>Pink sighed. Now that door was surely broken since Blue found White’s body in the bathroom. There was no vent in the bathroom, so there has to be some level of forced entry. It’s not like White just forgot to lock the bathroom, and the door is still intact and hinged from its frame (foreshadowing.)</p><p>Pink rolled her eyes, entering the freezing room. Thank god she had picked up that cardigan earlier. Pink was as relaxed as you could be, emotionally prepared to treat the remains of White. But nothing could prepare her for the phenom she was to witness. </p><p>Pink held her breath, inching toward the door. What scared her was how it was ajar open, perfectly blocking her view. The door was still intact, hinged properly to the frame. Pink glanced at the ivory glazed doorknob. </p><p><em>White couldn’t have… he wouldn’t just leave the door open</em>… Pink squinted the shiny little thing. It reminded her of a pretzel. A glistening shell that the pretzel was granted with, wasn’t naturally shiny. Chemicals are added to the dough to give the crust shine. Pink would know, having worked in a bakery before. She didn’t touch the doorknob. Afraid of being poisoned, she grasped onto the edge of the door. Her heart pumped raced, as she realized that the door was perfectly fine. </p><p>Pink had one theory in her, pent up with guilt and sorrow. </p><p>The Impostor wouldn’t just place him, naked in the bathtub for show right? Pink pondered. Surely they were better than this. It is better than to just undress the poor crew mate, and leave him for show. Pink’s heart was now ringing in her chest, as she choked back tears. </p><p>The chances of White being forced into non-consensual sex were at high stakes. But would they really rape him? </p><p>The Impostor didn’t undress him just for show. They were selfish for his last grain of dignity. Pink cursed every slur she knew under her breath. There was a huge difference between Impostors and Humans. The level of empathy instinctually bred into an Impostor could stoop lower than any human. </p><p>Hot teardrops trickled down her cheeks. Pink didn’t know how anyone could prepare themselves for this. Pink was ninety-nine percent sure that White was destroyed beyond recovery, but with her remaining percentage, she would do anything to bring him back. To revive him from his despair, and march out to Earth together. She wanted to see White shoot down the very Impostor who did that to him. </p><p>Pink grasped onto the edge of the door, swinging open the door. Pink would accept White in whatever form he might be in and walk with him to the end of the line. Her right hand that was so tensely gripping the door, fell to her side. She recognized the matted head of White and the foot that was limply hanging off the ledge of the bathtub.</p><p>Pink couldn’t see White’s genitals or anything from this distance and she was grateful. What scared her was how pin-drop dead silent the bathroom was. If White was really breathing and well, she would’ve heard him over her own blood rushing into her face. Pink swallowed an imaginable spit in her throat. Her mouth was dry actually.</p><p>Pink didn’t realize it, but her eyes had been opened for the last minute. Pink took a deep breath, realizing that she had been suffocating herself for no reason. Suddenly, she flinched. It was so quiet in the room that she thought she heard something. Pink looked around the bathroom. </p><p>When her eyes landed on a piece of paper in the corner of the sink she froze. She didn’t want to know who it was from, but what it said. She didn’t care about who wrote it, White or the Impostor. It was all the same to her. She snatched the single piece of folded printer paper. In the process, she knocked over the soap dispenser which the piece of paper was placed under. </p><p>Pink flinched at the sound. She was sweating under her cardigan and felt numb all over. Pink opened the paper, greeted by messy but readable handwriting. Pink stared at the note which read: </p><p>
  <strong> <em>Time of infection: 9:30&lt; x &lt;10:00. </em> </strong><br/>
<strong> <em>Keep White in the bath for 2 hours. Check on his immunity every half an hour. There is a small dosage of the antidote in the bath water, which will detox him. Send a sample of the bath water to Mira.</em> </strong>
</p><p>Pink blinked a few times, processing what she was reading. The bath…</p><p>Pink looked over her shoulder, getting another glimpse of White. There was a bandage wrapped around his torso, and he was still wearing a pair of grey boxer briefs. Pink swallowed the guilt that had pent up in her.</p><p>White’s hair was also weirdly positioned. Plastered against his forehead, but a few locks were tucked behind his ears. His pale body had acquired some color, so he looked feverish. </p><p>The plaster was wrapped tightly around his waist, as if the person who was taking care of him cared. There was also a wet paper towel  that was lying on his face. Almost as if the savior was trying to cover him with the water, without drowning. White’s body was covered with little goosebumps, with all of his hairs on end. White’s lips were dry, but not chapped. They were cherry colored. Pink stared at his parted lips, as he breathed softly. </p><p>Pink’s eyes widened and her heart raced. From where she was standing, which was a few feet away, Pink could see a hand bruise. It wasn’t purple in color, but a mauve shade. Pink leaned back against the sink, her heart still thumping in her ears. </p><p>She felt her throat go dry. Her hands were shaking as she recognized the possibilities of the case. Someone saved White. The chances of that someone being an Impostor hit her like a car. There is no way that the person was not an Impostor. If they were a crew mate, they would’ve come out the Medbay door. No one spoke up about this at the meeting. But why the hell would an Impostor save the pilot? </p><p>The leader is the only professional pilot on the ship. On this ship to be exact. Getting rid of White would’ve been their ticket home. There is literally no reason to save him. White is also the only person on the ship who knows how to use the Impostor gun. Why the fuck did they save him?</p><p>White is the most experienced person here. It's not like they could even marinate him like this. Saving White does absolutely nothing to aid them in the journey. Even if they did spread a virus into White, Pink could just send the bath water to Mira for closer inspection. Which was what they suggested her to do. Why, just why wouldn’t they kill White?</p><p>Pink snapped out of her trace. According to the note, she should've checked on his immunity a few times by now. Pink sighed, checking in on the time. It was almost 10:30, so Pink walked out of the room. She wasn’t going to be able to sleep tonight. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Really hope you enjoyed this one! Just to let u know, this chapter was 9k words... It was a big thing to put together! But I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did writing!</p><p>Remember: Drink 8 glasses of water, and sleep for 8 hours. Sitting is the new smoking.... don't risk it boiz.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Suspisions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Yellow learns to deal with the suspicions that have been piled on him from the start. Pink makes a few discoveries with the power of Meta.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey guys, It's been a while! Here is the new chapter, that took a little while to come up with :)<br/>If anyone is still reading this, I would like to say that thank you and I hope you are enjoying it so far!<br/>(It took way too long to update this since I got horribly sick recently. Don't worry it's not from the virus!)<br/>Alright guys, make sure that you are drinking your water and getting daily rest! In the endnotes, I share a good way to drink water and keep up with it!<br/>- 🐇</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yellow woke up at the sound of the alarm clock, blaring into his ears. He groaned, rolling over to his nightstand. He barely got any sleep last night, just thinking about the rest of the trip. But nonetheless, today was a workday. So he needs to be down at the cafeteria by 7. Yellow blinked vigorously to let his eyes adjust to the dark room. Far away from earth, there was no natural lighting to aid them in their journey. But this wasn't his first time waking up in pure darkness without anyone.</p><p>According to the paper that White had put up last evening, he was working on the same side that he was working on last time. That was a relief since most of the left side was keeping their old compartments. Yellow hated switching compartments, for obvious reasons. But especially if it is because a kill happened. Sometimes, the Impostor can do one kill in a week, which terrified him. Yellow pushed himself up onto his hands, letting the comforter fall back on his lap.</p><p>The frigid temperature didn’t take him by surprise, as he swung his legs over the bed. Yellow wet his lips, grabbing his glasses from the nightstand. They were framed thinly, with the lenses clear as the day. Wearing contacts all day would dry his eyes, so he tried to wear glasses as often as possible. He got off the bed, hissing at the cold burn from the floor. They definitely needed some carpets.</p><p>Yellow thought back about what happened yesterday. White was injured after getting attacked by an Impostor, and Pink is the Medic. Someone actually Medbay-cleared him as well. A Medbay clear that just happened to put more sus on him. Yellow sighed, falling back on the bed. It creaked vividly against his weight but soon faded into the silence. First, an Impostor tried to frame him, and now this. Yellow could only hope that White was the one who cleared him, or else…</p><p>Yellow brought his hands up to his mouth, covering it as he yawned. He really didn’t feel like getting out of bed today. After sulking for a minute, Yellow hopped out of bed again. Right now, he was definitely the most suspicious person on the ship. If he stopped doing his tasks, it might be the end of him. Yellow walked past Pink’s bed, surprised that the bed was still made properly as if no one had slept in it last night. Did she really not come back to the dorm?</p><p>Yellow waddled over to his luggage. He needs to take a bath before going. Yellow pulled on the zipper of his luggage and grabbed out his half-empty bottle of shampoo and, a small packet of conditioner. The ones that the ship normally provides you with, smells weird and can’t suffice for his dreads.</p><p>Yellow took a quick shower and changed into his task suit. He checked the time on his alarm clock which read,<em> 7:12.</em></p><p><em>Oh, shit,</em> He cursed. Surely the others wouldn’t mind it, since he never made it by 7. Yellow yanked the damp towel off his head and threw it onto the bed. Today he had to be there on time, or else the crew would be even more convinced that he was the Impostor. Wait, would the Impostor really procrastinate?</p><p>Yellow squinted into nothingness, walking out of the door. The Imposter would try to be on their best behavior so that the crew would trust them, right? That would actually put the whole team under suspicion, other than him. Yellow sighed, pulling open the door. Yesterday was definitely a mess, that only drove the team under another rabbit hole. The fact that White wasn’t dead was a relief, but what if he died overnight?</p><p>Blinded by the dim hallway lights, Yellow closed the door behind him, making sure that he locked it behind him. Impostors are known for stealing, and it’s just not worth it. Yellow slipped his card back into his pocket. He walked past all of the other dorm rooms and stood in front of Medbay. The door was wide opened which surprised him. Usually, when there was an injured person in there with the Medbay person or Pink, the door was closed. But Pink probably left, so it made enough sense.</p><p>Curious, Yellow took a few steps into Medbay. At first, Yellow didn’t see anything. No one seemed to be on the beds, and even Pink was nowhere to be seen. Confused, Yellow walked deeper, up to the monitor. Yellow heard talking coming from further into Medbay, to which he froze. There was a weird door, that was slightly ajar open.</p><p>Yellow stared at the door, utterly confused. That was not supposed to be there. Yellow thought that the door led to a bathroom since he remembered Blue talking about how his body was found in a bathtub in Medbay. And Yellow doesn’t recall ever seeing a bathtub stationed anywhere in the compartment.</p><p>He was curious but not stupid. He knew better than to disturb whoever was in there. Yellow made his way out, walking toward the cafeteria.</p><p><em>What? Is White is alive..?</em> Yellow pondered. Usually, it doesn’t take that long to dispose of a body. Maybe White even suffered for the whole night, but that doesn’t mean that he is suddenly alive and doing well. Lost in his assumptions, he walked deeper into the hall. Yellow spotted a few people right away, who were all sitting together: Purple, Red, and Orange. They all seemed to be in a heated debate evident to their expressions. Yellow looked over to the other table that was occupied by the other crewmates.</p><p>In one of the tables, far from the rest, in the left corner of the room sat, Cyan, Blue, and Pink. At least they seemed to be affected by the time of the day, looking half-awake.</p><p>So that leaves, Black, Brown, and White, Yellow concluded, walking over to his table. Abruptly stopping in his tracks, Yellow overheard their conversation.</p><p>“... I know, but that’s one too many slip-ups,” Orange finished up. The rest of the table was frozen as well, giving Yellow their undivided attention. As much as Yellow wanted to pretend that none of what Orange said was about him, by the looks passed around the table, Yellow could safely assume that he wasn’t welcome here. While some of the, like Purple, gave him nonchalantly unbothered expressions, others like Orange herself, seemed put-off by his presence. Yellow stood there like a deer caught in headlights, observing his fellow crewmates. Everyone was obviously very uncomfortable with what was happening, and Yellow just didn’t have it in him to change the conversation.</p><p>He couldn’t just face all of them, at once. Quickly, without hesitation, Yellow sped away from the table, handing his head low. He heard someone from the table call out his name, but didn’t care. Why did the Impostor have to choose him of all people? Why him?</p><p>They could literally go out of their way to frame somebody else, who played a bigger role... Why him of all people? Yellow’s heart pounded soundly in his ears, as he took a deep breath. This was a matter of life and death right now, he can’t have others turning on him. Yellow walked over to the vending machine and chose a fruit bowl for breakfast. Usually, he would at least chow down on a few breakfast burritos in the morning, but today was different. He didn’t feel like heating up his breakfast. Yellow glanced over his total which read, only a little over 2 dollars.</p><p>Yellow didn’t blame them for talking about his case, it wasn’t their intention for him to find out. And yes, if there was another crewmate on the ship who had gotten this many incidents regarding the Impostor, he would’ve definitely gotten suspicious.</p><p>Despite all of that, Yellow couldn’t help himself. These were once people that he called friends, on the ship. He knew that he was never going to be able to look at Orange the same.</p><p><em>You don’t come on the ship to make friends</em>, Yellow shook his head as the plastic bin slipped out. The fresh fruits on the ship were nothing like what was back on Earth. These were usually somewhat, dried out and diluted with simple syrup. Yellow picked up his package and walked to one of the empty tables. Surely his colleagues would understand that he wanted to be alone right now.</p><p><em>Thank god, Brown wasn’t over there…</em> Yellow thought, ripping the plastic seal from the top of the bin. Brown was… Brown was a lot of things. The crewmate was like a close friend to him. Despite only knowing each other from the very first day of the trip, they had grown close. Yellow smiled thinking of his friend. Brown knew an awful lot about Earth. Mainly things about the streets that even Yellow didn’t pick up on.</p><p>They both grew up in Chicago but in different parts of the state. Yellow grew up in a more quiet part of Englewood and had been working 40 hours a week, just to get by for his make-shift family. His parents left him in a lot of debt, which he was currently struggling to pay off.</p><p>Brown on the other hand ha gotten into UChicago, or one of the most prestigious colleges around. Yellow never asked the crewmate about his dream profession, but Brown did once confess that he was majoring in Biomedical engineering. Sometimes, Yellow felt much inferior to the crew. Brown and Purple had gotten into prestigious universities, Orange had acquired a spot in the air force, and god knows what the seniors are up to. Yellow came from the same shitty state where people barely got by with 10 bucks. So how has Brown one so much with his life, while Yellow was struggling to make the bare minimum?</p><p>Yellow had never been the most academically excelling student, but he tried to set a good example for his younger siblings. Yellow fixed a cold glare at his breakfast. Despite having lost his appetite, Yellow grabbed the plastic spork and picked up a flushed chunk of watermelon. Yellow looked up subconsciously as he saw Brown walking into the room. The crewmate was dressed in his task suit as well, which was tightly hugging his smaller frame. Brown didn’t even seem to notice him, walking over to Orange’s table. Yellow glanced back at his meal, shoving a few fruits into his mouth.</p><p>He could just talk to Brown when they were working together. White had finally switched Brown over from his nightmare job, Shields over to Lower Engine. Yellow didn’t know a single minor here, who could handle Sheilds. This was actually one of the fatal flaws of their crew, every one had a limited set of compartments that they could work. For example, Yellow’s specialties would have to be Weapons and, Engines. Put him on anything else, and he would be fried.</p><p>There wasn’t actually any minor on the ship, who could single-handedly take on Sheilds, other than Brown. When Yellow first came on to the ship, he hated being referred to as a minor. He was well over the age of 18, but according to Mira’s terms, he was still allegedly a minor. Minor/Senior are labels brought up by Mira to signify the people over and under the 3-year experience mark.</p><p><em>Speaking of seniors, where is Black?</em> Yellow wondered. Black is usually one of the first people here, along with White. That is impressive since White never slept. Yellow stabbed a few pieces of the cantaloupe cube, eating slowly.</p><p>He was having flashbacks of what happened a few days back after White was anonymously escorted to Medbay. No one knew anything about what had really happened, since the Medbay person wasn't allowed to come out in person and tell them. White was supposedly the only person who the Medbay person could communicate with since he leaked the information to the rest of the crew. That way, the Medbay person could remain hidden from the Impostor(s.) But obviously this time, the circumstances were different, and not only that but White had previously forgotten to set the new co-pilot, who had to cover for him. Yellow could still remember that day on the left side.</p><p>He was in charge of the lower engine, and times were stressful. They only had one senior at the time, Pink on the left side. All of the seniors were located on the right side, which was terrifying. Earlier that day, with the demanding situations going, Red had gotten into a feud with Purple. Apparently, Red had slipped up on the fuel can and spilled it all over the entrance of the Reactor. Red was moving around a whole lot that day, with the engines running on autopilot for too long. The majority of the trip is riding on auto-pilot actually since the ship is going the fastest then. When it is not on auto-pilot, the ship needs less fuel. The ship had been on autopilot for the whole day, meaning that Red had to refuel each engine too often.</p><p>Yellow could sympathize with the crewmate since he had been fuel at least a few times before. That red can was too heavy for its own good. The tension had become so stressed that even Pink and he had to get involved. At the time, Purple was Reactor, Yellow was the Lower engine, and Pink was the Upper engine. That was such a high-pressure situation, and Yellow had learned a lot from it. He also heard that the right side had been yelling at each other the whole time, nameably Blue and Brown, the other two members of the "Big Three." Brown had gotten, scared, to say the least, since his job is arguably the hardest.</p><p>Yellow sighed, popping a few grapes into his mouth. From what he heard, Orange had driven the ship out through its obstacle. That sounded sick, but Yellow wasn't there to see her drive. It was so weird to see different people drive the ship since you get used to one level of flying, that one feels when the pilot drives. Also, it was later discovered that no one had been operating O2 at the time since it was Red's job to regulate it every so often. Well, that had taught Yellow enough and he definitely didn't want it to happen again. Finishing up his fruit bowl, Yellow looked around and spotted the senior's table, who were all getting ready to leave. Deciding to leave with the first crowd of people, Yellow also got up as well. He looked into the crowd, still not spotting Black, odd. Yellow walked over to the trash chute with the rest of the group as they dumped out the garbage. Quickly, Yellow yeeted his bowl into the chute, walking away from the group. Most of them weren't even going to the left side, so he made his way to the other side of the cafeteria.</p><p>Of course, he walked past his old table, but he displayed a measurable amount of confidence. Keeping calm and pretending that you are just not there seemed to have worked as none of them even looked up from their conversation. Yellow heard a few people from the table talking about White getting attacked, but that was about it. As usual Purple was at Red's throat, but that was fine. Yellow's heart softly sped up as he heard Purple's mere voice from the table. She was yelling about something regarding the Medbay doctor, but Yellow was just thinking about her. Maybe if they were out in the real world, Yellow would even try to strike up a conversation with her. But with the high-stress levels on the ship, people were way too easy to trigger. Plus, why would someone like her, a Harvard law school graduate want to talk to him?</p><p>Yellow walked past the table relieved. Now he could go about his day until lunchtime and be a good crewmate. There were a few people who he had not impacted yet, so he had to be nice with them. Yellow skipped into the Upper engine, staring at the dim compartment. The huge engine was rumbling slowly, as Yellow entered the room. Yellow walked over to his alignment monitor, taking a seat on the cushioned office chair. Most of his days were spent on chairs, so that didn't fit right with him. It was a neat little place, with a trash bin in the corner of the compartment. Yellow stared at this monitor which was beeping out of control. During the night, the alignment usually got disrupted, so they had to check it out every morning. He had to check up on the task, about every 20 minutes which was a bit nauseating. Yellow was definitely going to miss his partner, Pink. Pink was easy to find, and just too crewmate-like to be anything else. Yellow would've been surprised if Pink was one of those monsters.</p><p>Yellow grabbed the big huge triangle lever in the corner of his monitor, and neatly aligned the upper engine. It took a lot of upper strength to properly do it without, dragging the monitor too high or low. He wondered about how experienced Brown might be with this job since the crewmate was his new partner. If Brown could do Shields, he can for sure do the Engines. It wouldn't be that hard to master. Yellow and Brown actually didn't have a lot in common, as they were just friends for the time passing. Yellow would love to make it back to earth but, he defiantly was going to disappear from the face of the crew. He didn't want them to see him struggling financially, as they seem to have it all figured out. As selfish as it was, he didn't want to see them either. So he was going to remain his distance and make sure that he doesn't befriend any other of them.</p><p>Hushed footsteps echoed down his corridor as he swung over his chair to greet the person. No matter who it was, he defiantly had to keep a good impression on them. His eyes caught up with the flash of Purple that was walking onto the scene and his heart faltered.</p><p>Yellow didn't want to see Purple. He knew that she had something to do with him getting accused, at least she was sitting with Red and Orange. He didn't think that Red was opposing his idea, because the crewmate often uses meta-play to sus out people, but Purple would jump at any opportunity to get a crewmate... at least that was what he thought. Purple's blonde hair was tied up in a tight bun, leaving out a few locks in the front. She was dressed in her ordinary task suit and was looking through her watch. Maybe in a different setting and circumstances, Yellow would be okay with just striking up a conversation, but that wasn't the case now. Yellow turned back around before she could notice that he had been staring, and pretended to be busy with his tasks. Faking his task in front of the crewmate occurred as a bad idea only after she was halfway past his compartment. Yellow retracted his hand, taking a deep breath of the gasoline.</p><p>Waiting for her footsteps to fade away into the main hallway, Yellow sat there unresponsive. After sitting around for a little bit, Yellow started to feel uneasy... Where did Purple go? Suddenly, he turned around, feeling as if someone was watching him. He met Purple's piercing gaze and jumped in his seat. He was defiantly not expecting her to just watch him like a creepy person. But there she was with her stone-cold expression as if she was observing an animal. Yellow swallowed and looked back down. She looked like she was angered, maybe even threatened by him.</p><p>"Having fun, faking your task?" Purple asked. Yellow thought that the tone she was utilizing was a bit like mockery. Not being to respond quick enough, Yellow turned defensive, deciding to ignore her for the time being. Yellow's heart was beating faster, and he was internally screaming to just face her. But it was just too much for him to pretend that nothing was wrong right now. So he gave her the cold shoulder, waiting for her to leave without making a fuss. Yellow couldn't imagine having to fight for his life against Purple. She was damn far too smart for this, and he would rather just die than face her. Of course, Purple took her time, speaking up again, leaving Yellow feeling empty.</p><p>"You know, you can't really be mad at us for talking behind your back," Purple stated, as Yellow heard her shuffling behind him, "It's for our own good,"</p><p>Waiting for some snarky commentary to be followed by that statement, Yellow waited for her to finish. When a short interval of minutes passed between them, Yellow paused. She really didn't have anything else to say to him. Yellow tuned around, expecting for her to be standing in the same spot, but she was long gone. Yellow's heart sank to the bottom pit of his stomach.</p><p>His heart ached softly, realizing that she didn't give a shit about how he felt. He mumbled a few curses in his head, tired of it all. Getting up, Yellow thought that it would be a good idea to grab something to eat quickly since he was still hungry from his repulsive fruit bowl. Plus he had some time before Red would be here with the fuel bottle. Yellow left his work area shortly after, walking out of his compartment. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to encounter any of his other crewmates...</p><p>Yellow walked past Medbay, glancing into the compartment. Not daring to look in, Yellow scampered away. He didn't want to spot a corpse, no one did. He wished he knew exactly what had happened to White. Surely, Pink would not tell him so what was the point in asking her?</p><p>Yellow walked into the deserted cafeteria hall, spotting Pink immediately. Her back was facing him, and she seemed to be focused on her download, Yellow turned his eye to catch a glimpse of Black, who was also focused on his wires. They had to travel together since they had all of the travel jobs, like Diverting power to the compartments, setting up the downloads and uploads, and wires. Yellow too had a task partner, who was Brown but it was a different kind of task compartment. Technically they are considered responsible for whatever happened to the engines. Yellow walked past both of the seniors, as Black didn't bother to look up. After working with the crewmate in the past, if there was one thing that Yellow could conclude it was that, Black hated any kind of human interaction. Whether it be sitting with other people, or being together during lights out.</p><p>Black was literally the embodiment of introversion if it was a thing. If he made any remote action to communicate with you, you just had to be lucky. The man liked his privacy and Yellow respected that. Yellow made eye contact with Black, who was staring at him. Yellow nodded as a greeting, and Black did as well. His heart filled up with content as the crewmate looked back to his task. All of those restless shifts where they would fail in aligning at the same time, paid off, now that they are acquainted, to say the least. The weird thing was that he had worked with both crewmates before. Black and he were task partners at the very beginning of the trip, even before Lime's death. Both times, he had been in charge of the engines with one or the other.</p><p>Yellow smiled, adding a little kick to his steps. He strolled over to the vending machine, losing sight of Black. But in turn, he glanced at Pink, who was frowning at the download situated in front of her. Yellow glanced over at her task monitor, which read something in the lines of 20 percent. Internally, Yellow winced. Download and Uploads might not be the hardest of the tasks, but it was too tiresome. Even if you set up the download or upload, you can't leave the station because your progress might restart if your device shuts off.</p><p>Pink looked over at his fowl expression, understanding that he was probably sympathetic. She glanced back at the download monitor, which read 23 percent. Embarrassed she forced on a watery smile, speaking up.</p><p>"It's the second time," Pink sighed, playing it off. Yellow didn't seem like someone who would judge her. Yellow looked back from his screen realizing that she had caught him staring. Pink watched as the crewmate became uncomfortable, speaking up.</p><p>"Yeah sorry," Yellow started, "I came to get some more food, and..." Yellow was trailing off, pouting like a guilty child. Pink shook her head.</p><p>"It's fine, everyone does it," she concluded, brushing an invisible strand of hair from her shoulder, "You should get going,"</p><p>Yellow didn't know about what she was referring to, messing up upload and download or, him looking over, so he just nodded. Pink sighed, as Yellow sped away from her after buying a protein shake. She couldn't help but get the impression that no one on the ship other than a few of the seniors liked her. And maybe Orange. Pink smiled. There was nothing going on between her and Orange but, they did flirt every often. Orange just brushes it off as a joke or gets flustered and Pink enjoyed teasing her. It was mutual for all the senior knew.</p><p>Pink glanced back at the download monitor which read, 30 percent. Pink huffed as she did. She had been standing for too long, and her feet were starting to buzz. She stared at the delectable snack machine that was only a few feet away from her. She knew that having a heaping bowl of fried rice, two fried eggs, and spicy pepper chicken was a bit much, but her stomach was aching for a mocha latte.</p><p><em>Ugh, I should've just stuck with coffee for breakfast,</em> Pink thought to herself. Suddenly, she heard someone walking toward her and turned around. Black had head over to her side, presumably after he finished his wires in the cafeteria. Black looked even more fed up than usual. What an achievement for someone who always sports the resting bitch face.</p><p>"You done?" Pink asked, glancing back at her screen. She definitely wasn't done, currently resting on 31 percent. Black merely nodded before speaking up.</p><p>"I'm going to Storage, to do my wires," Black announced, nodding his head. Pink nodded, agreeing nonchalantly.</p><p>"Sounds good, let's meet back here," Pink concluded, turning back to her screen. Black was weird, to say the least. With the information, Pink had acquired from White's scene. Someone, presumably an Impostor had attempted to rescue White from the fatal poisoning. She had thought about the savior has been a human, but that just didn't add up. Most of the people here are somewhat in a financial problem, and Pink would doubt that they could get their hands on the latest antidote. Deciding not to question the Impostor's motives, Pink was hunting for the perpetrator. First of all, whoever this was, saved their antidote to use on White. As if they knew this was going to happen...</p><p>Pink's best bet right now is that the Impostor was trying too hard to marinate White. In her opinion, this was the shitiest move done ever by an Impostor, but who was she to argue? Pink thought that this was a move performed by the less experienced Impostor. The other one was probably really close to killing White and the younger one interrupted by coming up with this brilliant idea. Pink was scared, to say the least. She had given White a freshwater bath today, and after examing his body for any radioactive remains, she was sure that he was going to wake up healthy. Pink was wondering if White had some deadly disease now. If so, they might all be contaminated and have to well... die. When White was going to wake up, if he was, she would have to send out the water to Mira. Pink had stored some of it in a jar, but what if they can't detect one?</p><p><em>What if the disease is too advanced for Mira to detect?</em> That was a rather silly thought since technically, any disease that can be contracted by an Impostor could also be sensed by a human. That was just based on the basic genetics laws. Pink bit her lips looking back down at her download, which had finished. Pink shut off the monitor, looking behind her. The cafeteria seemed to be empty, so Pink turned back around. Technically even the numbers of Impostors weren't set straight, who knew what they were in for?</p><p>The crew believed that there were two according to the timing of the two successes from the Impostors. Pink wasn't sure though. All of the cases were executed so differently. Pink wondered how White felt at the situation. Maybe he lost his memory and didn't remember any of it, maybe he saw their faces. The fact that not a single part of White was unharmed was peculiar. She was sure that even if they were trying to marinate him, they would disable him in some way. It's not every day that you get the pilot to yourself. The only part where White had gotten hurt was on his torso, where there were suction marks. That made Pink gag because, what the hell were they doing to him?</p><p>Pink thought that they might've been weird and just ended up trying to get suckled by him, but that wasn't the case. There were no marks on his pecs, but they were marked onto his abdomen. The only explanation that Pink could think of was that they were trying to hold him in place, but that was also a far stretch if they didn't do anything else. But this did supports the theory that they were trying to get him infected so that they could heal him right after. But she would have to see from White's opinion since he was the one who had been traumatized. Pink could not imagine being in a situation like this. she just couldn't and every time she thought about it, chills ran down her spine.</p><p>Pink wondered if White was perhaps actually saved by an Impostor, from another Impostor.</p><p>Maybe they have a simp in their hands. Pink chuckled to herself, walking toward Admin. Quite unlikely but Pink had actually made up her own crack theory. She remembered seeing White and Black, moving their stuff together, and Pink just made it up from there. What if, Black killed Green because he was jealous or something? That was a morbidly sick joke, so she tried to push it back in her mind. Death was death, which was nothing to joke about.</p><p>Pink walked past the lower exit of the Cafeteria, not spotting Black.</p><p><em>Where...?</em> Pink wondered, all of a sudden bumping into Black, who was on the wires panel next to her. Pink held up her free hand in shock.</p><p>"Oh sorry, I thought you'd still be in there," Pink joked, adverting her eyes away. Black merely looked away ignoring her. Pink sighed, leaning back against the wall. Black was so annoying. He only talked to a few people, and just ignored the rest. What a stuck-up brat. It was going to be annoying as hell trying to get along with him. Pink this time, walked off without him, back to Admin. If he was going to ignore her, she was going to return the favor. Pink walked into Admin, coming up to the upload monitor. Might as well get the hefty tasks out of the way.</p><p>Pink started up the device as it lit up in front of her. She tapped around for a bit, setting up the cafeteria download. Uploads were faster than downloads in her opinion. Pink sat down on the red office chair in front of one of the closed monitors. Admin was such a boring place to have tasks at. Now, this was all she was going to have until they reached Polus or a kill occurred. Pink looked back at the monitor as it was dimmed now. She extended her hand to tap it back to life, before sulking on her chair. She could clear a few people for this kill, as a lot of people were situated in Nav for the time. There was Orange and, Yellow, according to them, but Pink didn't actually know if they were there. She has been cooped up in the cockpit for most of the time. The Nav crew had a huge argument when the lights had turned out. They had really struggled on sending out people to actually fix the lights, so stupidly they had split up after that.</p><p>All she knew was that Orange and Yellow claimed to be in Nav, but she didn't clear them. This kill was a success for the impostors unless someone had caught something with the cameras or through Admin. Pink really didn't have a clue about what happened to White. This case concerning him was so peculiar, but this wasn't the first case they had stumbled upon.</p><p>Apparently, Blue had been chased down by an Impostor and they almost got the best of him. But this happened very early in the trip so, the crew was extra cautious with vent kills. Yes, Blue had caught a venter and had tried to report it. He was in Admin, and someone apparently in Admin with him, but no one was in there. Yet. Blue had sprinted for his life, but the door to Cafeteria had gotten sabotaged, and he barely managed to call the button as they vented back. Pink couldn't list the suspects for that case on the top of her head, since she was nowhere near that, but it was for sure close.</p><p>That sounds terrifying. Pink watched as the upload finished up nicely, allowing for her to move off the monitor. Pink was actually pretty invested in this case. The fact that it was one of the first times where they could confirm that the two Impostors were together, in one part of the ship, it would be easier for sure to rule out people.</p><p>She looked ahead for Black and spotted him in the corner of her eye. He seemed to be checking Admin, which she noticed he does often. Black seemed to be the paranoid type, and she couldn't even blame him after everything that happened. The last time they had checked Admin was not too long ago, just right before they had started on tasks. Pink glanced back at the upload monitor clicking on the weapons settings. She started the upload from there since she had done it as her first task.</p><p><em>2 downloads down, too many to go,</em> Pink huffed, watching the invisible growth of the progress bar. She walked over to the admin map, to get a better look at the map as well. Black had been scrutinizing the table for a while, so she was wondering if he had caught anything. His poufy hair was falling on his face as he was practically leaning on the table. He looked like he was drunk or something, clutching onto the rim of the table. Was he sick?</p><p>Pink watched closer to the crewmate. Either he was still being a dick and wasn't acknowledging her, or he actually hadn't noticed her. Black didn't exactly look paranoid from what she could see. He was clenching his jaw and looked a bit pale. Pink glanced at his grip on the table, which made his knuckles turn white.</p><p>Why was he so mad? Pink bit her inner lip, speaking up firmly.</p><p>"Are you alright?" Pink asked. Pink couldn't help but sound a little insensitive for what Black was going through. She just couldn't get what he was dealing with. First Black's fingers lifted off the edge of the table, stretching on their own. Black looked away like he was about to cry. Her firm gaze fell off his shrunken frame as she spoke up again.</p><p>"Are you okay?" Pink asked, again. If Black didn't respond again, something just has to be wrong. Getting the idea that he caught something through the Admin map, she looked down at the glowing table.</p><p><em>Two in Admin, one in Weapons, two in Nav, One in Shields,</em> Pink eyes shifted to the other side of the map, <em>One in Medbay, Two in the Reactor. That would leave someone out in the hallways.</em></p><p>Pink glanced back at Black who had leaned back of the admin table. He seemed to be blinking normally now.</p><p>"I'm fine," Black spoke up quietly, avoiding eye contact. Pink did as well, taking a step back from the crewmate. His voice cracked in the end. Pink looked back at her download, which was only halfway through. She didn't know if Black acting like... this was an indication of his innocence. If he was normally like this, it wouldn't spark any suspicion about him, but Pink just couldn't remember what he "normally" acted like. Practically her first impression of him was their unpleasant contact in front of the dorms with White. Maybe Black was just emotional and didn't like his friends getting hurt. Yes, it was cliche, but Pink didn't have it in her to find this kind of behavior suspicious.</p><p>Pink nodded, taking in a heavy breath. The atmosphere around the ship was depressing, to say the least. Even with White around, it had always been this way. People were too caught up with their lives back on Earth, not bothering to focus on the mission. The fact that people still mourn for those on the same trip as them, total strangers at that, shows that she could still entrust some faith in humanity. Or maybe, Black was just brooding about his own life, where ever it was.</p><p>Pink turned back at her download monitor which was almost three-quarters of the way through. Pink didn't like thinking about her own life. So just leave it at that. Pink looked back at Black, who seemed to be deeply contemplating something. He seemed to be deeply troubled, so Pink just ignored his behavior. He was just thinking about Earth, everyone has their moments. Suddenly Black spoke up.</p><p>"How is... White?"</p><p>Black's deep voice echoed out of her consciousness for a second.<em> Wait, what....?</em></p><p>The question rebutted her as she felt the air in the room grow colder. Black must've not been breathing because she couldn't hear anything over her accelerating heartbeat. As cold as it was in the room, Pink felt goosebumps run over the surface of her body. Her grip on the download monitor tightened, as she contemplated where to run. With the little logical sense she had left, she crossed her arms in an attempt of self-soothing.</p><p>"Are you alright?" Black's concerned tone shook her back to reality as she turned around. His wrist was held up, with his veined hand limply dangling down. He seemed to have retreated from the thought of physically consoling her from her panic attack. His dimmed eyes shifted back down, as he let go of his wrist. Pink sighed.</p><p>"I'm fine. I think we are done here, so let's get going," Pink said, in one go. She glanced at the upload monitor which had finished her second upload.</p><p>This time, Black just responded with a simple, "Yes," following her out of Admin. Pink walked out of the compartment, entering storage which was deserted. Pink struck up a conversation, turning around. She didn't want to just let Black follow her around, out of her convenience.</p><p>Suddenly, her watch started to emet a washed outbuzz. She picked up on the sound of Black's watch also buzzing, so at once, they looked over at the screen. Their screens were normal. It seemed to be a sabotage alert, but judging from the lack of blaring noises and darkness, this was just a Comms. call. Deciding that they could just finish a little task before heading up, Pink spoke up.</p><p>"Do you need to make a pit stop?" Pink asked, facing Black. Black looked up, surprised at being put on the spot. But he had gotten back to his resting bitch face, so things felt even more awkward.</p><p>"Yeah, I need to divert power," Black stated, slipping his hands into the lower pockets of his suit. Pink hummed, walking toward the lower entrance to the left side. Her last designated-task region had been in O2, so she was still somewhat unfamiliar with the people on the left. Usually, White didn't do extreme switch up, leaving most of the people on their preferable sides. Pink couldn't say that she was unhappy in Admin. The tasks were lengthy, but when she was done, she was done. She could be anywhere, doing whatever she wanted.</p><p>Pink thought back about the little incident in Admin when Black had asked her about White's well-being. As badly as she wanted to believe that he had something to do with White's salvation, she couldn't prove it. It was bad enough that he knew that she was the medic, but it couldn't prove that he was the one that saved White. Meta-wise, she definitely had reasons to believe that he was one of the Impostors. Now all she had to do, was not give away that she knew, or otherwise, things wouldn't end well for her. Black had always been one of her main culprits from the start. Quiet, mysterious, and somewhat intimidating, a few traits that were memorable about her first and only other experience with an Impostor.</p><p>Pink let out another disheartening sigh. The reason why she was so afraid of truly convicting him as her main target to sus-out, was because of his motive. Why did he do those kills? Most of the time, Impostors kill to, well live. If her theory was correct and he was indeed the savior of White, just why did he save him?</p><p><em>You know what, if I'm going to act normal around him, I'll get by,</em> Pink concluded. <em>J</em><em>ust need to treat him like a crewmate.</em></p><p>Pink walked into Electrical, paying close attention to Black whose softly falling footsteps ricocheted behind her. From the sound of them, he seemed to be walking awfully too calmly, allowing her to worry. Pink remembered her every interaction with Black as if it was her last breath. From the moment that he shoots her down with a glare, to this very minute, her heart sped up, as a shiver ran down her spine.</p><p>Black knew. He knew that she knew, that he was one of them. Pink's footsteps slowed down, as Black slowed his own to match her pace. From the moment where she was in Admin, and he consoled her verbally, to calm down, to when he treated her like something more than prey, leading her into Electrical. He made himself seem more humane than ever. How had she really not seen it from the start? It was so unlikely for the crewmate, to actually go out of his way to ask her if she was alright. He casually made it seem like she still had time until he found out, just so she wouldn't run to the button.</p><p>And even if she did, it would all be over for her.</p><p>Then he led her to this her to the only deadly place, where no one would find her body. He was probably going to self-report in the end, unless it just so happened that someone had been on Cams., or even Admin. This was the end for her.</p><p>As the Electrical door slammed shut behind her, Pink scoffed to herself, as the thought of all of this being in her head came up.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Glad you guys made it to the end! Hope you enjoyed and I'll try to get out the next chapter in a week or two :)<br/>As I said before, make sure you are drinking water! The way I do it is drinking through a soda can (2 liters or 8 cups!) You can just clean out one, and drink throughout the day :D<br/>The bottle can get dirty so make sure they clean it properly.<br/>Have a good day!<br/>(Ask me questions in the comments if u need anything!)<br/>- 🐇</p>
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